Barcelona’s Dani Olmo injured: what is the injury and how long is he out for?

Barcelona’s dominant 4-1 victory over Girona at Montilivi wasn’t without its difficulties. Eyebrows were raised when Dani Olmo was forced into being substituted after feeling discomfort in his hamstring.

While initial feelings from the club are optimistic, as the tests carried out do not indicate a major injury but rather muscle overload, Olmo is expected to be out of action in the blaugrana shirt for seven to ten days.

As a result, he will definitely miss the Champions League game against Monaco next Thursday and remains a doubt for the league match against Villarreal on Sunday.

The news of Olmo’s injury is undoubtedly a huge spanner in the works for Hansi Flick’s side, particularly in European competition. Olmo is seen as a key player, especially given the amount of injuries that the team have suffered at this early point in the season. Notably, Marc Bernal is out for the season after suffering a torn cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Official confirmation of Olmo’s absence will come after further tests are carried out by club doctors. Without the midfielder, the German coach will be forced to improvise, as he still doesn’t have Gavi—who is expected to return in two weeks—or Fermin, who is nursing an injury to the rectus femoris in his left leg.

Given this challenging situation, it seems likely that Raphinha could be deployed in midfield, with Ferran Torres on the wing and Ansu Fati coming on as a second-half substitute.

Barcelona play against Monaco on Thursday 19 September, with kick-off at 3pm ET. Following that they return to domestic action, with a LaLiga tie away to high-flying Villarreal CF on the schedule.