Barcelona suffer injury blow as Hansi Flick confirms defender will ‘miss a few weeks’ | OneFootball

Barcelona made it seven wins out of seven in La Liga ahead of the international break, securing a 3-1 victory over Sevilla.

The Catalan club had a difficult first half, being held to a 1-1 draw by Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.

However, Barça played a much better second half, with Raphinha netting a hat-trick and helping his team maintain their perfect record at the start of the season.

One cruel blow the Catalan club suffered yesterday was the injury to Andreas Christensen. The 30-year-old had to be taken off in the second half.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the Dane felt discomfort in the back of his left thigh after challenging Sevilla striker Robbie Ure.

He immediately required treatment after being substituted and Flick later confirmed the bad news: “He will be out for a few weeks.”

Christensen forced off after promising display

The incident initially appeared to be the consequence of a collision, but Christensen was clearly uncomfortable after leaving the pitch.

He was seen with his head between his legs on the bench as Barcelona’s medical staff applied ice to the affected area.

Andreas Christensen suffered an injury against Sevilla. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)

Gerard Martin replaced the Dane, who will undergo further tests in Barcelona today to establish the exact extent of the problem.

The timing is particularly frustrating because Christensen had been enjoying an encouraging start to the campaign.

He had already accumulated 492 minutes this season, almost matching the 551 he managed across the whole of an injury-hit previous campaign.

Christensen has started five of Barcelona’s opening eight matches.

Flick loses an important defensive option

His performance against Sevilla had provided another reminder of what he offers Flick beyond conventional defending.

Christensen stepped forward with the ball and supplied Raphinha for Barcelona’s equaliser, demonstrating the calm progression and passing quality that can be valuable against opponents sitting deeper.

More importantly, he had finally been building continuity. Barcelona have high expectations for Christensen this season after his previous physical problems, so another interruption is particularly disappointing.

The only silver lining is that this latest issue is unrelated to the cruciate ligament injury that previously kept him out for almost six months. He has also dealt with Achilles problems in the past.

International break comes at the perfect time for the Dane

If there is ever a good time for Christensen to pick up an injury and still manage it, it would be just ahead of an international break.

Andreas Christensen could use the international break to recovery from injury. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Three weeks of international action means no club football for 20 days, and the Dane could use this period to rest and recover.

It remains to be seen what the official prognosis of the injury is and how long the former Chelsea man will be out for.

Flick will be hoping that the Dane is not out for long, and it remains to be seen how his recovery plays out in the coming weeks.