Rodri Sidelined for Barcelona’s Top-of-Table Clash With Atlético Madrid

Barcelona confirmed Wednesday that midfielder Rodri will miss this weekend's match against Atlético Madrid due to a minor right hamstring injury.

Barcelona midfielder Rodri will miss Sunday’s LaLiga match at the Metropolitano against Atlético Madrid after testing confirmed a minor injury to his right hamstring. The Spain international was substituted at half-time during Tuesday’s 3-0 Champions League victory over Aston Villa. Since joining from Manchester City in the summer, the midfielder has started 14 matches across all competitions and recorded one goal.

While the club has not established a specific recovery timeline, the injury occurs ahead of an international break where Spain is scheduled to face Czechia on Nov. 12 and England on Nov. 15. Should he remain unavailable for national team duty, his next potential appearance for the LaLiga leaders would be the Nov. 22 home fixture against Villarreal.

Barça enters the weekend at the top of the table with 30 points from 11 matches, holding a two-point lead over Diego Simeone’s side. Atlético Madrid currently maintains a seven-match winning streak in league play. In defensive team news, Eric García and Andreas Christensen returned to training on Wednesday, though Jules Koundé remains out of full training with an ankle issue. Full-back Xavi Espart is expected to be sidelined until the end of the year, while Dani Olmo and Roony Bardghji also remain unavailable for selection.