Barcelona forward Ferran Torres to miss three games with muscle injury | OneFootball

Barcelona have been dealt a massive injury blow after confirming that Ferran Torres will miss the next three games due to a muscle issue.

The Catalan giants confirmed the setback on their official X account, saying “Torres has a strain in the semimembranosus muscle of his right leg and is out”.

Barcelona went on to confirm that the Spanish forward will be out for around 10 days, ruling him out of the next three games in all competitions.

Torres will be unavailable for Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Slavia Prague, as well as upcoming matches against Real Oviedo and FC Copenhagen.

Barcelona are hoping that their La Liga top scorer will return in time to face Elche on January 31, but his involvement in that match will depend on how well his recovery progresses.

Torres started in Barcelona’s shocking 2-1 defeat against Real Sociedad, but was on the pitch for just over an hour before he was replaced by veteran striker Robert Lewandowski.

While the result was disappointing, the bigger worry came later when Torres was forced to play through discomfort before eventually being assessed by the club’s medical team.

The timing of the injury is far from ideal, especially for Barcelona’s Champions League ambitions.

Barcelona head into the Champions League clash sitting 15th in the league-stage standings, with qualification for the knockout rounds still far from secure.

The Blaugranas are just three points outside the top eight, but anything other than a win in Prague could be devastating for their automatic qualification hopes.

Torres has scored 15 goals in all competitions for Barcelona this season so his absence will be felt.

He isn’t the only Barcelona star giving Hansi Flick a headache at the moment. The German head coach will also be without Lamine Yamal, who is suspended for tonight’s clash.

However, Raphinha’s timely return offers some reprieve, particularly after the Brazilian forward missed the defeat to Sociedad.

With Torres sidelined, Barcelona will turn to Lewandowski to lead the line, although the Polish striker’s long-term future at the club has been called into question.

Marcus Rashford will also be hoping to help Barcelona skip past Slavia Prague by adding to his four-goal tally in the Champions League.