Barcelona suffer Andreas Christensen injury blow

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 24 March 2023

Barcelona could be without the services of Andreas Christensen for the next four weeks due to a calf injury, according to a report.

Barcelona could reportedly be without the services of Andreas Christensen for the next four weeks due to the injury that he suffered while representing Denmark on Thursday night.

The central defender had to be substituted in just the 18th minute of his country's Euro 2024 qualification match with Finland after picking up a problem.

According to SPORT, Christensen suffered an injury to his left calf, and the issue could rule him out for the next four weeks of the campaign.

The defender is already believed to be on his way back to Barcelona to begin his recovery, but the Catalan outfit are not expecting him to return to the field until the end of next month due to the nature of the issue.

Should Christensen be out for four weeks, he would miss league games against Elche, Girona, Getafe and Atletico Madrid, in addition to the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final with Real Madrid.

Barcelona's Sergi Roberto celebrates scoring their first goal with Frenkie de Jong, Andreas Christensen and Robert Lewandowski on February 19, 2023 © Reuters

The 26-year-old moved to Camp Nou on a free transfer last summer after running down his contract at Chelsea.

Christensen has been an important player for Barcelona this season, featuring on 25 occasions in all competitions, including 16 outings in La Liga.

However, he was unavailable for a lengthy period in the first half of the campaign due to an ankle issue, and he is now set to be sidelined once again at a key stage of the season.

Christensen's importance to Barcelona boss Xavi is shown by the fact that he has played the full 90 minutes in each of the team's last eight league matches.

Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen pictured on July 7, 2022 © Reuters

Barcelona also remain without the services of Pedri and Ousmane Dembele due to hamstring problems.

Pedri had been earmarked to return against Real Madrid last weekend, but the Spain international suffered a setback ahead of the contest, and he is now not expected back until the end of next month.

Dembele, meanwhile, could potentially return against Girona on April 10, with the Frenchman on the sidelines since the end of January.

Ronald Araujo picked up an injury to his left adductor against Real Madrid last time out, but the centre-back is expected to be available for the clash with Elche next weekend.

Christensen's absence from the team could open the door for Marcos Alonso to enjoy a run in the side, while Eric Garcia is also an option in that area of the field.