Frenkie de Jong: Barcelona handed injury blow ahead of Champions League last 16 draw

In partnership with

Evening Standard

·26 February 2026

Frenkie de Jong: Barcelona handed injury blow ahead of Champions League last 16 draw

Key man will miss crunch fixtures for La Liga giants

New friends: Marcus Rashford and Frenkie de Jong

OneFootball Videos

Getty Images

Frenkie de Jong has been ruled out with injury as Barcelona were dealt a big blow ahead of the Champions League last 16 draw.

De Jong, who has captained Hansi Flick’s side in recent weeks, will be sidelined for five to six weeks after injuring the distal biceps femoris in his hamstring, the club confirmed on Thursday.

It will mean that the midfielder will miss both legs of Barca’s last 16 tie, as well as the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final against Atletico Madrid, where they are 4-0 down on aggregate.

He could also miss the league trip to the Wanda Metropolitano in April.

The Catalans are awaiting Friday’s draw to find out their first knockout round opponents, and they could face either Newcastle United or Paris Saint-Germain.

Both the Magpies and the current Champions League holders booked their place in the last 16 with play-off victories over Qarabag and Monaco respectively on Wednesday.

Barcelona and Chelsea are seeded fifth and sixth in the competition bracket, and, ahead of the draw, it means that they both sit on the same two branches of the tournament tree.

That therefore means that whichever side Barcelona get drawn against, then Chelsea will take on the other team in that equation.

Hence, if Barca draw Paris, then Newcastle will meet Liam Rosenior’s side in an all-Premier League showdown.

How to watch Champions League draw

TV channel: In the UK, the draw will be live on TNT Sports 1.

Live stream: You can also watch the draw online via the Discovery+ app and website with a subscription, as well as on the TNT Sports YouTube channel. The draw also will be streamed live on UEFA’s website, YouTube channel and the Champions League app.