Pedri blow: Barça star sidelined for a month with thigh injury
Barcelona midfielder Pedri faces four weeks out after limping off against Slavia Prague, missing crucial Champions League and Copa del Rey fixtures.
Barcelona’s midfield maestro faces a significant spell on the sidelines after medical tests confirmed the worst fears following his early exit against Slavia Prague.
Injury Confirmed
Pedri underwent medical examination on Thursday after returning to Barcelona, with doctors diagnosing a biceps femoris injury in his right leg. The club expects him to be out for approximately four weeks - a timeline that aligns with Hansi Flick’s post-match comments when he admitted the player would miss “several weeks” without being able to specify exactly how many.
The Spanish international was forced to hobble off during the Slavia Prague match, immediately raising alarm bells about a potential layoff. This latest setback is a proper kick in the teeth for Barça, who rely heavily on the Canary Islander as the creative brain of their midfield operation.
Critical Absences
The timing couldn’t be worse for the Catalan giants, with Pedri set to miss several crucial fixtures:
- Champions League: The crucial Copenhagen clash next Wednesday where Barcelona need a result to secure direct qualification to the last 16 and avoid the playoff round
- Copa del Rey: Quarter-final against Albacete at the Carlos Belmonte and potentially the first leg of the semi-final should they advance
- La Liga: League matches against Oviedo, Elche, Mallorca, Girona and Osasuna
To compound matters, Frenkie de Jong will also miss the Copenhagen game through suspension after picking up his third yellow card against Slavia. Flick now faces a proper midfield headache with two of his most influential players unavailable for a match that could determine whether Barcelona face an additional knockout round in Europe.
Barça fans will be hoping their team can navigate this difficult period without their midfield conductor, but there’s no denying that when Pedri isn’t on the pitch, the quality of their play tends to take a nosedive.