Barcelona’s Midfielder Ruled Out For Weeks With Injury

La Liga league leaders, FC Barcelona, have been hit with an injury to their key midfielder ahead of their opening game in the newly formatted UEFA Champions League.

Dani Olmo, the Spaniard midfielder, has been sidelined for approximately a month due to an injury sustained during his team’s 4-1 victory over Girona on Sunday evening.

Olmo had scored a goal during the game but was substituted off the field after picking up the injury somewhere around the 60th minute during the second half of the game.

“Tests conducted this Monday morning on Dani Olmo have revealed that the Barcelona forward has injured his right hamstring,” said Barcelona in a statement.

“He is expected to be unavailable for the next four to five weeks.”

Olmo will be unavailable for Barcelona’s first Champions League matches against Monaco and Young Boys. He will also miss several La Liga fixtures, along with Nations League matches for Euro 2024 champions Spain against Denmark and Serbia in early October.

The 26-year-old is expected to make a return to first-team action during the club’s game against Bayern Munich on October 23 and the El Clasico match against Real Madrid on October 27.

Following the club’s difficulties in registering Olmo, who joined from RB Leipzig, he has made a remarkable return to Barcelona, scoring three goals in his first three matches.

It was a homecoming of sorts for Olmo who began his career in the infamous La Masia academy through which he developed his game during his younger years.

Hansi Flick’s team has enjoyed an ideal start to the season, winning all five of their matches in the league thus far. In these five games, they have scored 17 while conceding just 4.

Barcelona will be up against French-side Monaco on September 20 which would be followed by the La Liga fixture against Villareal.