It had already been a terrible start for Barcelona in their Copa del Rey quarter-final clash with Athletic Club at San Mames, given that they fell behind after 36 seconds to Gorka Guruzeta’s opener (although they are now 2-1 up). Things got worse in the early stages too, as Alejandro Balde was forced off with a serious-looking injury.
The young defender was chasing a ball on the left flank when he pulled up sharpish, before falling to the ground clutching his right hamstring. He immediately asked to be substituted, and looked to be in the great deal of pain when leaving the field of play.
He leaves the pitch in tears. It looks very serious.
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) January 24, 2024
Barcelona will be desperately hoping that Balde’s injury isn’t a serious as it looks to be. Although he has been off-colour this season, he remains a key player for head coach Xavi Hernandez, who has only just got Joao Cancelo back from injury.
On a possible timeframe, Diario AS say that Balde could be out for 4-6 weeks with the injury. Due to the player’s painful gestures, who left the field visibly limping, and the concerned expression of the doctor Ricard Pruna, everything suggests that it’s a muscle tear of significance.
This preliminary timeframe would probably be best-case scenario for Barcelona. The last thing they would want is for him to miss months, although tests will need to be done in order to determine a more telling understanding of the situation.
