Barcelona midfielder Rodri will miss Sunday’s crucial LaLiga encounter against Atletico Madrid after sustaining a hamstring injury, the Spanish champions have confirmed.
The Spain international was substituted at half-time during Barcelona’s 3-0 Champions League victory over Aston Villa on Tuesday after experiencing discomfort.
Medical examinations conducted at the club’s training ground on Wednesday revealed a minor injury to his right hamstring, ruling him out of the trip to the Metropolitano.
Barcelona, however, have not disclosed how long the midfielder is expected to remain sidelined.
His availability for Spain’s upcoming international fixtures against Czechia on November 12 and England on November 15 is also uncertain. National team coach Luis de la Fuente is expected to announce his squad on Friday.
Should Rodri miss the international fixtures, his possible return could come when Barcelona host Villarreal in LaLiga on November 22.
The midfielder has become an important figure in Barcelona’s setup since joining from Manchester City in the summer. He has made 14 appearances across all competitions this season, scoring once.
Meanwhile, Barcelona have received a boost in defence, with Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen edging closer to full fitness after returning to training on Wednesday.
However, Jules Kounde is yet to resume full training following an ankle injury, while Xavi Espart is expected to remain unavailable until the end of the year.
Dani Olmo and Roony Bardghji are also still sidelined.
Barcelona head into the Atletico encounter after recovering from consecutive defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid with victories over Alaves and Aston Villa.
They currently lead LaLiga with 30 points from 11 matches, two points ahead of Atletico, who have won their last seven league games.
Real Madrid are a further point behind Atletico ahead of their trip to Valencia on Saturday.
