FC Barcelona are living through a nightmare at the worst possible time. Just days before El Clásico against Real Madrid, Hansi Flick’s side have been hit by a wave of injuries — ten players are currently sidelined, creating growing concern inside the club. Since late August, the treatment room at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper has been overflowing, and even Flick has admitted that the situation “is not normal” this early in the season.

An endless streak of injuries

It all began on August 30, when Gavi suffered a knee injury that turned out to be worse than expected. After surgery to repair meniscus damage, the young midfielder is expected to miss four to five months, ruling him out for most of the first half of the campaign.

A few days later, on September 3, Alejandro Balde picked up a left hamstring injury in training, sidelining him for over a month.

Soon after, Lamine Yamal returned from international duty with pubalgia, sparking frustration from Flick over Spain’s handling of his workload. The 18-year-old winger missed three LaLiga games and one Champions League match before returning to light training.

Fermín López was the next casualty, suffering a left psoas muscle strain in the game against Getafe. The Andalusian midfielder is now close to returning and could feature against Girona on Saturday.

Three surgeries and counting

Barcelona’s injury woes deepened after the Oviedo match, when both Joan García and Raphinha went down. The goalkeeper tore the meniscus in his left knee and required surgery — becoming the third Barça player this season to go under the knife, after Ter Stegen and Gavi.
Meanwhile, Raphinha sustained a right hamstring tear, with no clear timeline for recovery.

During the current international break, the situation worsened again. Dani Olmo picked up a calf issue with Spain, while Ferran Torres was withdrawn due to hamstring tightness — though tests ruled out any serious injury.

Lewandowski the latest blow before El Clásico

The biggest concern arrived on Tuesday: Robert Lewandowski has suffered a tear in his left hamstring, effectively ruling him out of El Clásico. The Polish striker is expected to be sidelined for around three weeks, a devastating setback for Flick, who loses his most reliable goalscorer right before the biggest match of the season.

Flick demands answers

Visibly frustrated, Hansi Flick confirmed that the coaching and fitness staff are analyzing training loads and physical preparation methods to determine the causes of this injury plague.

“It’s not normal to have so many issues at the start of the season,” said Flick in a press conference.

With ten players injured or recovering, Barcelona approach the clash with Real Madrid surrounded by uncertainty. Flick will be forced to improvise, test the squad’s depth, and rely on young players to keep the team competitive in what is already shaping up to be one of the toughest challenges of his tenure.