Barcelona’s Pedri Set to Miss a Month Due to Hamstring Injury

Barcelona has confirmed that midfielder Pedri will be out for approximately one month due to a hamstring injury. The announcement was made on Thursday following his substitution in the second half of Wednesday’s 4-2 victory against Slavia Prague in the UEFA Champions League.

The 23-year-old player returned to Barcelona post-match for further medical evaluations, which confirmed the severity of the injury, ruling him out until the end of February.

During Pedri’s recovery period, FC Barcelona will compete in seven matches, beginning with consecutive home fixtures against Real Oviedo in LaLiga on Sunday and Copenhagen in the Champions League the following Wednesday. Additional league matches are scheduled against Elche, Girona, Mallorca, and Levante, alongside a Copa del Rey quarterfinal encounter with Albacete on February 3.

Barcelona’s progression in the Champions League may also hinge on their upcoming performance, as Hansi Flick’s side could potentially face two more games should they miss out on the top eight and the automatic qualification for the round of 16.

Despite currently sitting ninth in the table, Barcelona remains well-positioned to avoid playoffs for the knockout phase if they secure a victory against Copenhagen, given that two of the teams ranked above them, Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United, are set to compete against each other.

In addition to Pedri, the team will also be without his midfield partner, Frenkie de Jong, who is suspended after receiving his third booking of the tournament against Prague. In Pedri’s absence, it is anticipated that Eric García may be reinstated to the midfield, with options including Fermín López, Dani Olmo, Marc Casadó, and Marc Bernal available to fill the gap left by the Canary Islander.

After facing injury challenges earlier in his career, Pedri had maintained good fitness levels since Flick’s appointment as Barcelona’s coach in 2024, featuring in 59 matches across all competitions last season. However, he has already missed five games this season due to a hamstring issue, along with additional time in December due to a calf problem, and now faces the prospect of missing up to seven more games.

Thus far in the current campaign, Pedri has made 25 appearances, scoring two goals and providing eight assists.