Barcelona confirmed Rodri will miss Sunday’s trip to Atlético Madrid while reports suggest that the influential midfielder may be sidelined for several more fixtures.

Rodri’s fitness has been at the forefront of Hansi Flick’s mind in recent weeks. The marquee summer signing whisked from under the nose of Real Madrid was notably rested for last week’s blockbuster Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain. After playing three full 90 minutes in succession, Rodri was owed a break. “We have to take care of the players,” Flick explained.

Yet, that cautious approach didn’t persist.

Rodri was used throughout the defeat to Real Madrid and, even more curiously, was left on for the entire 90 minutes of a 6–1 drubbing against Alavés over the weekend. Even with that workload on his docket, Flick risked Rodri from the start of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Aston Villa. His night was over at halftime.

The following day, Barcelona confirmed that Rodri had suffered a “minor injury to his right hamstring.” While the Catalan giants were unwilling to offer a concrete timeline for his recovery—it “depends on how the injury develops” was all they could muster—the club did confirm that he will sit out Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash with Atlético Madrid, if the match goes ahead at all, that is.

Atlético are La Liga’s form team, boasting seven successive top-flight victories while conceding just two goals during that spell. Diego Simeone’s men could leapfrog Barcelona with a victory at the Metropolitano on Sunday and will fancy their chances in light of Rodri’s absence.

When Will Rodri Be Back for Barcelona?

Regardless of La Liga’s scheduling for this weekend, Barcelona are set to benefit from the imminent international break, which kicks into gear once this weekend’s round of club games has concluded. Yet, Barça’s gain could be Spain’s loss.

Rodri is set to sit out the world champion’s upcoming Nations League fixtures against Czechia and England, The Athletic report. Spanish outlet SPORT claim that the 30-year-old will be out of action for one month, which could see him miss as many as four fixtures for Barcelona.

The Catalans return from the club hiatus with a league clash against Villarreal. There is the small matter of a Champions League trip to Azerbaijan to take on Sabah FK before venturing to A Coruña for a meeting with Deportivo. The aforementioned timeline would theoretically put Rodri in contention to face Celta Vigo, while there is optimism that he will be back in time for the visit of his former employers Manchester City on Dec. 8.

Barcelona Fixtures

• Nov. 8: Atlético Madrid (A)
• Nov. 22: Villarreal (H)
• Nov. 25: Sabah (A)
• Nov. 29: Deportivo (A)
• Dec. 6: Celta Vigo (H)
• Dec. 8: Man City (H)

How Can Barcelona Replace Rodri?

Flick replaced Rodri against Villa with Marc Bernal. The upright left-footer has long since been singled out as the eventual heir to legendary midfielder Sergio Busquets but is still a raw 19-year-old. Despite being a more senior and experienced academy graduate, some doubts persist about Gavi, especially his fitness.

Frenkie de Jong may be the ideal alternative. The cerebral deep-lying playmaker has recently returned from a serious knee injury sustained during the World Cup. Flick had to call upon the midfielder at center back against Alavés amid a minor injury crisis but he was restored to his favored role for the closing stages of Tuesday’s win over Villa.

That outing marked De Jong’s 300th Barcelona appearance, a feat not many would have expected during his tumultuous contract negotiations with the club last year. De Jong eventually put pen to paper to commit his long-term future to Catalonia 13 months ago, invariably starting when fit and available for Flick in a second successive league title triumph. In the absence of Rodri, De Jong could be called upon again.

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona Confirm Huge Injury Blow for Early Title Test Against Atletico Madrid.