Injury tracker: Possible return dates for five injured Barcelona stars

Barcelona are en route to completing a domestic treble this season, having already won the Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid earlier this year. They are also 12 points clear at the top of the table, and have a 0-1 lead in the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

Everything seems to be going according to plan for Xavi in his first full season as the coach of the club.

However, as we enter the final third of the season, Barcelona have to gear up for even more hurdles coming in the form of injuries.

Starting with Ousmane Dembele to Pedri to Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong, and most recently Andreas Christensen, Barça have five starters out of action, with varying timelines.

Ousmane Dembele

The first out of the quintets to be sidelined, Dembele picked up a thigh injury against Girona, and was initially ruled out for a month.

Unfortunately, his recovery has been going slower than expected. Plus, the player is prone to pick up relapses, which means Barcelona will not risk his return.

Dembele is expected to miss the second leg of the King’s Cup semis against Real Madrid, but depending on his recovery, could potentially make it back in time to face Girona and/or Getafe.

Potential time out: 3-4 more weeks.

Pedri

Arguably Barcelona’s most important player, Pedri picked up a hamstring strain against Manchester United in the first-leg of the Europa League knockouts. He was also initially ruled out for nearly a month.

The player made it back in team training in time, and was reportedly ready for the Madrid game in the league, too. An unfortunate setback, however, has ruled him out for a few more weeks.

As such, Pedri will also likely miss the Copa del Rey El Clasico. Fans can expect to see him back around the same time as Dembele.

Potential time out: 3-4 more weeks.

Ronald Araujo

Unlike the aforementioned duo, Araujo’s injury is most likely cautionary. He was seen with a pack of ice on his thigh after the 2-1 win against Real Madrid, and had to be withdrawn from national team duty with Uruguay.

Barcelona did confirm an adductor injury to the defender, but there is optimism at the club that he will be ready immediately after the international break. Could be rested against Elche, though.

Potential time out: 2 weeks.

Frenkie de Jong

Similarly to Araujo, de Jong picked up an injury right on the brink of the international break, and had to be called back from the Dutch squad. Later, Barça confirmed a hamstring injury for the midfielder.

While a doubt for El Clasico right now, Barcelona are confident that the player will make a full recovery before the game and will be in line to start vs Madrid.

Potential time out: 2-3 weeks.

Andreas Christensen

The last of the five to pick up an injury, Christensen had to be substituted off the pitch against Finland in their 3-1 win. The Danish international has picked up a knock on the calf, according to the official medical report from the club.

Christensen will miss the Madrid game as well, and could even be out for a month due to his injury. More reports are likely to follow.

Potential time out: 4+ weeks.