Rodri injury news: Barcelona confirm hamstring injury and rule midfielder out of Atlético Madrid clash

Rodri in a Spain shirt during the 2026 World Cup final against Argentina
Photo: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Barcelona have ruled Rodri out of Sunday's top-of-the-table LaLiga trip to Atlético Madrid after confirming the midfielder has a minor injury to his right hamstring. The club confirmed in an official statement on Wednesday, 4 November, that medical tests had shown the injury to the biceps femoris muscle in his right leg, and that he will miss the match at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. Barcelona gave no return date, saying only that the exact recovery time will depend on how the injury develops.

How the injury happened

The problem surfaced during Tuesday's 3-0 Champions League win over Aston Villa at Camp Nou. Rodri felt muscle discomfort in the first half and was replaced at the interval by academy graduate Marc Bernal. Head coach Hansi Flick said after the match that Rodri had felt muscular pain, and tests at the club's training ground on Wednesday confirmed the hamstring injury. Flick had already flagged the worry on Tuesday night, telling reporters Rodri "felt some discomfort, and we will have to wait until tomorrow to assess it." Follow the score, lineups and match details on the Barcelona vs Aston Villa match page.

What Barcelona said

Barcelona's official medical update was short and specific. The club said Rodrigo Hernández had undergone medical tests following the muscle discomfort he experienced during the match against Aston Villa, and that the tests had confirmed a minor injury to his right hamstring, in the biceps femoris muscle. The statement added that he will miss next Sunday's match against Atlético Madrid, and that his exact recovery time will depend on how the injury develops.

That wording matters for supporters searching for a return date: there is, as things stand, no confirmed timeline for Rodri's return. Spanish media have reported he could be out for around a month, but Barcelona have confirmed none of that. Any date circulating online that is not backed by a further official statement from the club should be treated as unconfirmed.

What it means for the trip to Atlético

The timing is awkward for Barcelona. Sunday's match, on 8 November 2026 with kick-off at 20:00 UTC at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, is a meeting of the top two in LaLiga: Barcelona lead second-placed Atlético by two points, so a win would stretch the gap to five, while defeat would let Atlético draw level. Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner, has been the anchor of Hansi Flick's midfield, and losing him removes one of the players the coach has relied on most. Follow the team news, score and lineups on the Atlético Madrid vs Barcelona match page.

There is an extra edge to the fixture for Rodri himself: Atlético are a former club of his, one he represented 47 times before joining Manchester City in 2019. How Barcelona cover the absence is a question for the team sheet, but the most likely answer is already in view — Bernal, who replaced him at half-time on Tuesday, stepped straight into the holding role against Aston Villa.

What happens next — and what is not yet known

The next checkpoint is the international break, which follows Sunday's game. Whether Rodri is available for Barcelona's next league match will be decided by how the hamstring responds in the coming days, not by a timetable Barcelona have shared. The confirmed facts are the minor hamstring injury, the missed trip to Atlético and the absence of an official return date. ScorePulse will update this story when Barcelona give their next official assessment of Rodri's injury.

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