Barcelona's coaching staff suffered a major blow at a crucial point in the season after it was confirmed that midfielder Pedri will be sidelined for a month. The official announcement from the Spanish league leaders on Thursday confirmed the concerns raised after the team's last Champions League match.
Details of the injury and medical diagnosis
The 23-year-old international suffered an injury during the second half of Barcelona's resounding 4-2 victory over Slavia Prague in the seventh round of the Champions League group stage. He was forced to leave the field in pain, necessitating further medical examinations.
The club issued an official statement explaining the nature of the injury, saying: "Tests conducted this morning confirmed that first-team player Pedri has a muscle tear in his right hamstring," noting that the recovery and rehabilitation program will extend for a full month before he can return to group training.
List of matches Pedri will miss
The absence of "The Maestro" comes at a time when Barcelona faces a busy schedule of important matches both domestically and in Europe. Pedri will not be available for the upcoming Champions League clash against Copenhagen next week, a match in which the team will be looking to improve their position, currently sitting in ninth place with 13 points.
In La Liga, the team will be without their player for a series of consecutive matches against:
- Real Oviedo
- Elche
- Girona
- Real Mallorca
The impact of absence on the title race
This injury is particularly significant given the fiercely competitive league situation, where Barcelona sits atop the table with 49 points, but only by a very narrow margin (one point) over their arch-rivals and closest pursuers, Real Madrid. This slim lead leaves no room for error, placing added pressure on the coach to find a suitable replacement who can compensate for Pedri's pivotal role in linking the lines and orchestrating play.
In a related development concerning the Copa del Rey, if Barcelona manages to overcome Albacete (a second-division team) on February 3rd, Pedri will also miss the first leg of the semi-final. It's worth noting that Albacete caused a major upset by eliminating Real Madrid 3-2 in the previous round, in Álvaro Arbeloa's first match in charge after replacing Xabi Alonso. This makes the path to the title theoretically easier for Barcelona, but it remains fraught with risks given these significant absences.
