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Barcelona have announced that defender Jordi Alba has tested positive for COVID-19.
The left-back must now self-isolate, making him unlikely to be able to travel to face Mallorca on January 2 for Barca’s next LaLiga game.
The 32-year-old becomes the third Barca defender to be sidelined with COVID-19, joining fellow full-back Dani Alves and centre-back Clement Lenglet.
Barca’s official statement read: “First-team player Jordi Alba has tested positive for COVID-19, ruling him out of Tuesday afternoon’s training session at Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper from 6pm CET.
“The player is in good health and self-isolating at home. The club has reported the case to the relevant authorities.
“He joins Clement Lenglet and Dani Alves on the sidelines, who also tested positive for COVID-19.”
Xavi must now consider how to replace Alba in the side as he looks to steer Barca out of seventh place in the table and into the Champions League spots, with Rayo Vallecano two points ahead of them in fourth.
Only Sergio Busquets, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Memphis Depay and Frenkie de Jong have played more minutes across all competitions than Alba’s 1,526, highlighting his importance to the team.
