FC Barcelona’s injury crisis deepened as Pedri González became the latest player to be sidelined, suffering a hamstring injury in his left thigh, the club said on Wednesday.
Before the injury, the Canary Islander midfielder had missed only one game under coach Hansi Flick, featuring in 72 of a possible 73 matches, according to the club.
Pedri is the only player in the squad to have surpassed 1,000 minutes this season, having started all 13 official matches and played nearly every minute. With very little rest, he now appears to have reached his physical limit.
He had even worked out in the gym on Wednesday morning before the bad news arrived.
“The first team player Pedri has suffered a tear in the distal biceps femoris muscle in his left thigh. The player's recovery will dictate his return to action,” the club said in a statement.
Pedri was already set to miss Sunday’s La Liga match against Elche due to a red card suspension in Sunday’s El Clásico, but the new injury means he will be sidelined for a much longer spell. The club has not provided a specific recovery timeline, but several Spanish media outlets report that he is not expected to return before the November international break, ruling him out of the Champions League clash against Club Brugge and the La Liga fixture against Celta Vigo.
This news is a real headache for Hansi Flick, who loses his midfield metronome ahead of key fixtures. With Pedri sidelined, the number of injured Barcelona players has now climbed to eight, including Lewandowski, Raphinha, Dani Olmo, Joan Garcia, Christensen, Gavi, and Ter Stegen.
Among them, Lewandowski is the only one nearing a return, having trained with the full squad on Wednesday. The Polish striker could feature against Elche after missing three games (against Girona, Olympiacos, and Madrid) due to an injury sustained during the last international break.
Meanwhile, Dani Olmo and Joan Garcia have resumed light field training but will not be rushed back. Raphinha is also expected to return after the international break, following his injury in Oviedo on September 25.