Barcelona midfielder Rodri will miss Sunday’s LaLiga meeting with Atletico Madrid after medical tests confirmed a minor injury to his right hamstring.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner was substituted at half-time during Barcelona’s 3-0 Champions League victory over Aston Villa at Camp Nou, with Marc Bernal replacing him.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick said after the match that Rodri had experienced muscular discomfort and requested to come off. Further examinations were conducted on Wednesday.
The club said Rodri’s recovery time would depend on how the injury developed, although reports indicate he could be unavailable for around a month. He is also expected to miss Spain’s upcoming Nations League matches.
“Rodrigo Hernandez has undergone medical tests following the muscle discomfort he experienced during yesterday’s match against Aston Villa,” Barcelona said in a statement.
“The tests have confirmed a minor injury to his right hamstring.
“He will miss next Sunday’s match against Atletico Madrid. His exact recovery time will depend on how the injury develops.”
Rodri has made 14 appearances in all competitions since joining Barcelona from Manchester City, starting 11 of those matches. He previously represented Atletico Madrid 47 times in all competitions before moving to Manchester City in 2019.
The Spain international has led Barcelona for successful passes this season, with 1,082. He also has the most successful touches, with 12,62, and successful tackles, with 15, among the club’s players.
Barcelona are two points clear of Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid in LaLiga before the meeting at the Metropolitano. Atletico, however, have won their past seven league matches.
Since the 2021-22 season, Atletico have only produced a longer winning sequence once, when they won eight consecutive top-flight games in January 2025.
Barcelona chasing another away record
Barcelona have won their past four away LaLiga matches against Atletico Madrid and could become only the third side in the competition’s history to record five successive victories at the Rojiblancos’ home ground.
Athletic Club achieved the feat in 1955, winning five in a row, while Real Madrid extended their sequence to six victories in 2013.
Barcelona have also won all five of their away matches in LaLiga in 2026-27, scoring at least three times in every game and registering 22 goals in total.
They have started a single LaLiga campaign with six away victories only twice before: winning their first 10 away matches in 2010-11 and again in 2012-13.
