BARCELONA
How many games will Pedri miss through injury? Which ones?
Pedri went down in the first half of the Europa League game against Manchester United with a thigh problem.
Barcelona fought to a 2-2 draw against Manchester United in the Europa League at Camp Nou, in a game that was just as fun as it was terrifying.
Xavi’s recent European results have not been anything to write home about, so a draw against one of the continent’s in-form sides is nothing to turn your nose up at. However, Barcelona will travel to Old Trafford with a major piece of their arsenal missing: Pedri went down on the first half with what was later confirmed to be a thigh injury.
Barça confirm Pedri injury - how long will he be out for?
Just after the second half began, FC Barcelona confirmed that Pedri had suffered “an injury to his right thigh (hamstring)”, and “was to undergo tests to determine the full extent of the injury.” After the game, Xavi admitted he wasn’t sure of the severity of the injury, and that he would “see tomorrow” about Pedri.
The young midfielder underwent said tests on Friday morning and the bad news for Xavi, Barcelona and, of course, Pedri himself is that he is expected to be out of action for three to four weeks. Given that the club are in the midst of a hectic run of fixtures, that means he will be forced to miss multiple games.
Will Pedri be available to face Manchester United or Real Madrid? How many games will he miss?
That timeframe means that Pedri will miss a minimum of five matches, two of which in particular are crucial as Barcelona chase glory on three fronts. The teenager will be forced to sit out the return Europa League clash against United (23 February) and the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Madrid (2 March), which are sandwiched between three league games at home to Cádiz (19 February) and Valencia (5 March) and away to Almería (26 February).
The speed of his recovery will dictate whether he misses any further games although, as things stand, he would also be a serious doubt for a potential Europa League round of 16 first leg (9 March) and the league clash against Athletic Club at San Mamés (12 March). Barça’s next game is a LaLiga Clásico against Real Madrid (19 March) at Camp Nou, which Pedri already seems to be in a race against time to be fit for. In the worst-case scenario, the youngster could miss a total of eight games.