Following their 2-4 win over Atletico Madrid in their last night’s match in La Liga, FC Barcelona will not return to action for two weeks as the March international break is starting.
Up to 16 Blaugrana players were called up by their respective national teams for this break, with some teams playing in the UEFA Nations League and others trying to ensure their qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
However, the number of Barcelona players joining their national teams is set to decrease, as Mundo Deportivo reports that veteran defender Iñigo Martínez will be unable to represent Spain in the upcoming UEFA Nations League quarter-final matches against the Netherlands due to medical reasons.
The Basque defender finished last night’s match against Atletico Madrid with a discomfort in his knee, and thus, is out of the national team squad. This has already been confirmed by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
In fact, his replacement has also been named by the Spanish national team, who will be the Bournemouth center-back Dean Huijsen, who had missed out on the first call-up by Luis de la Fuente for this upcoming international break.
This would have been quite a blow for Martinez, as it was after quite a while that he was called up by his national side. In fact, this was the first time he was on Luis de la Fuente’s list, even though he has 21 appearances for the Spanish national team under previous coaches.
In addition to Inigo, another Barcelona player, Marc Casado, will also be unable to participate in these upcoming games as he has suffered a knee injury and is likely to spend a significant time on the sidelines.