Barcelona lose Xavi and Keita
Monday, February 15, 2010
Article summary
FC Barcelona's injury problems for next week's trip to VfB Stuttgart continue to mount after midfielders Xavi Hernández and Seydou Keita were both ruled out with thigh knocks picked up on Sunday.
Article top media content
Article body
Hot on the heels of their first Liga defeat of the season, holders FC Barcelona have learned that Xavi Hernández and Seydou Keita will miss the away leg of their UEFA Champions League first knockout tie against VfB Stuttgart on 23 February.
Both midfielders had to be substituted during Barcelona's 2-1 loss at Club Atlético de Madrid on Sunday, a game Josep Guardiola went into without Eric Abidal, Daniel Alves and Yaya Touré through injuries. Keita limped off early on and has been ruled out for a month with a right thigh muscle tear. He could struggle to return for the visit of Stuttgart on 17 March.
Xavi went off 12 minutes from time, also with a thigh injury, and is out for a fortnight. Of the other injured players, only Touré is considered to have any possibility of returning for the trip to Germany.
