November 19, (THEWILL) – Barcelona and Spain midfielder Pedri has suffered a relapse of a thigh injury and will be forced to miss additional time.
This was disclosed by Catalunya Radio who added that the 19-year-old is set to miss another month of play.
The news comes as a blow for new Barca manager Xavi Hernadez as he looks to begin the rebuilding process.
Pedri first sustained an injury in a 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich on September 14, and then had a relapse when he returned to action in the Champions League against Benfica on September 29.
The midfielder has not played since, but was set to return against Espanyol in the La Liga on Saturday, November 20 in what will be Xavi’s first game in the Barca dugout.
The development, however, means that Barcelona will have to do without the gifted player. Pedri is set to also miss a number of critical games, including Barcelona’s UEFA Champions League match against Benfica on November 23.
The Catalan giants will start that game in second place in their UCL group, knowing that a win will guarantee them a place in the knockout stages of Europe’s premier championship.
On September 29, Benfica defeated Barcelona 3-0 at the Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, courtesy of a man of the match performance by Darwin Nunez, who scored a brace. They will be hoping that Xavi has the means to see them avoid a repetition of that outcome.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
