Barcelona dealt crushing injury blow as 2 key players are out for more than aΒ month - Reports
Barcelona are reportedly set to be without midfielders Pedri and Frenkie de Jong for more than a month due to injury.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the former has suffered an injury to his right quadriceps, while De Jong is dealing with a ligament sprain in his right ankle. Romano provided the update via his Instagram account on Monday, March 4, writing:
"π¨ ππππππππ: Pedri and de Jong, both expected to be out for more than one month π΅π΄π€"
Both players sustained their injuries during Barcelona's 0-0 draw with Athletic Club at San Mames on Sunday, March 3.
De Jong first went down midway through the first half of the La Liga encounter and was stretchered off in the 26th minute, with Fermin Lopez taking his place. On the stroke of half-time, Pedri also clutched his leg and called to the bench. He seemed to be in tears as he was replaced by Lamine Yamal in the 45th minute.
This is the second time the 21-year-old will miss matches due to injury this season, having suffered from a hamstring issue earlier in the campaign. The earlier injury saw him miss 12 matches across competitions. Pedri has played only 24 times this season, recording two goals and four assists.
De Jong also missed nearly two months of action between September and November last year due to an ankle injury. The Dutchman, 26, has mad just 27 appearances across competitions this season, scoring twice.
The duo join Gavi (ACL), Alejandro Balde (hamstring tendon rupture), Marcos Alonso (back) and Ferran Torres (hamstring) on the treatment table.
"Very unfortunate; tremendous misfortune" - Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez on Pedri and De Jong injuries
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez issued a worrying update on his two injured midfielders after their goalless stalemate with Athletic Club. He said (as quoted by 90min):
"The injuries to Pedri and Frenkie do not look good. It is very unfortunate. They look like they will miss several games and could be out for a long time. Between today and tomorrow we'll know more.
"These are two very important players for us, and it seems like they will now be out for several matches, perhaps a long time. We have to hope it is less than we fear, but it is tremendous misfortune for us."
The injuries to Pedri and Frenkie de Jong come at a key point in the season for Barcelona.
The Blaugrana will host Napoli in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 tie on March 12, with the tie evenly poised at 1-1 after the first leg. They then visit Atletico Madrid on March 17 in a match that could prove crucial to the La Liga title race.
Following their draw with Athletic, Barcelona are currently third in the league, eight points behind leaders Real Madrid with 11 matches to go.