MADRID, Aug. 24 — FC Barcelona have suffered another injury setback with the confirmation that Spain international midfielder Pedri has suffered a muscle injury in his right thigh. This is a repeat of the injury the 20-year-old suffered in February while playing against Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League. Although the club reports his return to the team is “pending evolution”, he is unlikely to return before the start of October and perhaps until after the second international break of the season. That means he will miss seven games in La Liga and Barcelona’s first two games in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, as well as Spain’s forthcoming UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Georgia, Cyprus and perhaps Scotland. Pedri joins defender Ronald Araujo on Barca’s injury list, with the Uruguayan suffering from a torn hamstring that will keep him out of action for at least a month. Pedri has struggled with a series of muscle injuries in the past two seasons, making 26 appearances last season and starting just 10 games in the 2021-22 campaign, after playing over 70 matches for club and country in his breakout season a year earlier.
Xinhua
