Barcelona star withdraws from national team duty due to injury setback
Barcelona star Pedri has been ruled out of Spain's upcoming international games due to injury. The Spanish national team has added that a replacement will be named shortly.
Pedri has been struggling with a hamstring injury for the last few weeks, which saw him miss the Blaugrana's last four La Liga games. He's confirmed to miss the El Clasico against Real Madrid on Sunday (March 19) too.
Now, the 20-year-old is set to be sidelined from Spain's Euro 2024 qualifying games against Norway (March 25) and Scotland (March 28). A statement put out by the national team's website said:
"The national coach, Luis de la Fuente, has called off Pedri for the next two matches of the Spanish National Team after the conversations held between the medical services of the Royal Spanish Football Federation and FC Barcelona. In the next few hours, the possibility of summoning another player in his place will be evaluated."
It's not the most ideal start to Spain's qualifying campaign for next year's Euros, but manager Luis de la Fuente has enough quality to call upon.
Pedri broke into La Roja's senior set-up in March 2021 and has grown into an influential figure in the side since then, racking up 18 caps. He was a part of their Euro 2020 campaign and 2022 FIFA World Cup. Pedri was named the best young player at the World Cup and named in the team of the tournament at the Euros.
Barcelona face Real Madrid without Pedri
Barcelona face Real Madrid in La Liga on Sunday but will have their task cut out without Pedri, who has been a key player in the squad for them all season. The Spaniard was on target in their 3-1 victory over Los Blancos in the Supercopa de Espana final in January.
Without him manning the midfield, the Blaugrana will have to find a way around, as Real Madrid will be gunning for revenge after consecutive Clasico defeats. Barcelona are nine points clear of Los Blancos atop the standings, but a loss on Sunday could blow the title race wide open.