Barcelona have confirmed that Rodri will miss Sunday’s trip to Atletico Madrid after medical tests showed a slight injury to the biceps femoris of his right leg. He was replaced at half-time in the Champions League win over Aston Villa, and the club said his recovery will depend on how the injury develops.
Barcelona's medical update
The club statement turned a concern into an official absence. Foot Mercato reported that the tests followed the discomfort Rodri felt during the match against Aston Villa, and that he will be unavailable for Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona.
Barcelona also go into that game with 9 points from 4 Champions League fixtures, so the injury does not arrive in the middle of a crisis. It still leaves Hansi Flick with a selection problem in a midfield that has leaned on Rodri heavily, especially with 703 La Liga minutes already on his legs this season.
Flick's midfield options
Flick said Rodri had felt a muscular niggle and that Barcelona would have to wait until the following day, while also noting that Frenkie de Jong has only just come back from injury and Bernal has performed well when used. That gives the coach at least one internal option in Marc Bernal, who has already made 9 La Liga appearances and logged 356 minutes.
The timeline on Rodri's return is still not fixed. Foot Mercato said the exact length of his recovery will depend on the evolution of the injury, while Europa Press reported he could be out for close to a month. Barcelona have not put a date on his comeback, and the only firm call so far is that he will miss 8 November.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
