Barcelona confirm Alejandro Balde injury as recovery timeline is revealed | OneFootball

Alejandro Balde was forced off during Saturday’s victory at Leganes, and now Barcelona have confirmed his injury less than 24 hours later.

Balde pulled out during the first half of the match at Butarque, which was won by Barcelona after an own goal in the second period. There were fears that the 21-year-old defender would be out for a sustained period of time, which is the last thing that the Catalans need amid a gruelling fixture schedule, and this looks to now be the case.

As per an official statement on X, Barcelona confirmed that it was a hamstring injury that Balde sustained against Leganes.

“Tests carried out on Sunday morning on the first team player Alejandro Balde confirm that he has a distal injury to his left hamstring. His return to action with the first team will depend on his recovery.”

Image via Guillermo Martinez / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP

And according to Sport, the timeline for Balde’s recovery is believed to be 2-3 weeks. It means that he will miss upcoming matches against Borussia Dortmund, Celta Vigo and Mallorca, while he is classed as a major doubt to be able to face Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final, which takes place at La Cartuja in less than two weeks’ time.

It would be terrible news for Barcelona to be without Balde for the Superclasico. After a difficult start to the season, he has been one of the the most consistent performers in Hansi Flick’s side since the start of 2025.

In Balde’s absence, Gerard Martin is expected to be the player that Hansi Flick calls upon at left-back. The 23-year-old has made 31 appearances this season, and although he has had a few poor performances along the way, he has been a largely dependable player for the La Liga leaders – and that will need to continue to be the case in the coming weeks.