Damning double injury blow for Barcelona! Xavi fears Frenkie de Jong & Pedri will be out for 'a long time' after costly Athletic Club draw

Both Pedri and De Jong were forced to leave the pitch in the first half of Barcelona's goalless draw in their La Liga fixture against Athletic Club on Sunday. The Dutch midfielder awkwardly landed on the ground after an aerial collision with Athletic Club's Unai Gomez. Pedri shortly followed his team-mate out of the ground after he tweaked his hamstring during a clearance.

Barcelona boss Xavi expressed his concern over the condition of the midfield duo, as he told reporters after the game, "The injuries to Pedri and Frenkie do not look good. It is very unfortunate. They look like they will miss several games and could be out for a long time. Between today and tomorrow, we’ll know more. These are two very important players for us, and it seems like they will now be out for several matches, perhaps a long time. We have to hope it is less than we fear, but it is a tremendous misfortune for us."

The Catalan giants failed to take advantage of league leaders Real Madrid dropping points on Saturday against Valencia as they continue to trail their arch-rivals by eight points after 27 league games.

Xavi's side will next take on Mallorca in La Liga on Friday before they shift focus to Europe where they take on Napoli in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 fixture on March 12.