Barcelona Reveal Pedri Return Date After Major Injury Blow

Hansi Flick’s initial reaction to Pedri’s injury was telling.

Pedri’s injury was a real blow for Hansi Flick. | Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Barcelona have confirmed that star midfielder Pedri will be sidelined for one month after sustaining a hamstring injury in midweek.

Hansi Flick could not hide his horror at the sight of Pedri limping off an hour into Barcelona’s Champions League clash with Slavia Prague on Wednesday night. The German coach fretted after the match that “it’s no good news” to see his star player hobble away.

Dani Olmo emerged off the bench to thump in a staggering go-ahead goal in what turned out to be a 4–2 victory, yet the loss of Barcelona’s midfield maestro will still be keenly felt.

Pedri’s substitution was initially thought to have been largely precautionary but an official update from the club has taken the unorthodox approach of actually setting a timeline. In a brief statement, Barça revealed that the “the recovery time is expected to be one month.”

How Barcelona go about replacing Pedri’s sense of calm and control may prove to be one of Flick’s biggest challenges.

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How Barcelona Can Replace Pedri

Barcelona are thought to be open to offers for Marc Casadó. | Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images

Flick had little reason to consider any system without Pedri last season. The diminutive midfielder appeared in 59 of Barcelona’s 60 matches across all competitions throughout a triumphant 2024–25 campaign. His fitness, which has been a problem in the past, hasn’t quite held up this term.

Pedri has missed six matches this season, prompting four different solutions which have produced mixed results. On half of these occasions, Eric García has been shifted forward from defense. The former Manchester City center back boasts innate defensive instincts and is very comfortable on the ball but doesn’t quite have that same control of tempo as his compatriot.

Flick, nevertheless, is satisfied with his efforts. “I think that at the level he’s playing and what he’s showing, he’s doing very well,” the German boss beamed. “He’s an important player in the dressing room, he loves this club.”

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Midfielders	Results
Eric García-Frenkie de Jong	P2 W1 D0 L1
Marc Casadó-Frenkie de Jong	P2 W1 D1 L0
Dani Olmo-Eric García-Fermín López	P1 W1 D0 L0
Dani Olmo-Frenkie de Jong-Fermín López	P1 W1 D0 L0

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Marc Casadó should theoretically serve as the ready-made replacement for Pedri. The Masia graduate enjoyed a superb breakthrough campaign last term but has struggled for minutes this season, with his performances suffering from that lack of fluency. There have been speculative links of a winter switch for the 22-year-old, whose departure would not be as keenly felt as some other academy graduates.

It was telling that Flick turned to Olmo rather than Casadó when replacing Pedri on Wednesday night. A trio of the former, Frenkie de Jong and Fermín López is an inherently attacking trident, but could work for Barcelona’s two upcoming home games against Real Oviedo and FC Copenhagen, a pair of clubs who are expected to sit back and challenge the Catalans to break them down.

Whoever Flick chooses, they will represent a downgrade on Pedri. As De Jong gushed earlier this season: “Anyone who’s next to him is going to feel comfortable because he’s very good. He solves a lot of things and always gives it to you in the best conditions.”

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Barcelona Games Pedri Will Miss

Should Pedri sit out the entire month, he stands to miss as many as eight matches for Barcelona. The 23-year-old will sit out the conclusion of the club’s Champions League league phase campaign against FC Copenhagen while there are five league matches on the horizon during this busy schedule.

In the event that Barcelona avoid the same upset as Real Madrid and find a way past Albacete in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals, the first leg of the semifinal in the same competition comes in the first week of February.

Date	Competition	Fixture
Sunday, Jan. 25	La Liga	Real Oviedo (H)
Wednesday, Jan. 28	Champions League	FC Copenhagen (H)
Saturday, Jan. 31	La Liga	Elche (A)
Tuesday, Feb. 3	Copa del Rey quarterfinal	Albacete (A)
Saturday, Feb. 7	La Liga	Mallorca (H)
w/o Feb. 11	Copa del Rey semifinal	TBD
Sunday, Feb. 15	La Liga	Girona (A)
Sunday, Feb. 22	La Liga	Levante (H)

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