Barcelona’s season has been jolted by a significant injury setback, with the club confirming on Thursday that midfielder Frenkie de Jong will be out for five to six weeks after damaging the distal biceps femoris in his right hamstring.
The timeline rules the Dutch international out of both legs of Barcelona’s impending Champions League round of 16 tie, the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final against Atlético Madrid on 3 March—where they trail 4-0 on aggregate—and a string of league fixtures against Villarreal, Athletic Club, Sevilla, and Rayo Vallecano. He is also certain to miss the forthcoming March international window.
This is a major blow for manager Hansi Flick as the campaign enters its decisive phase. De Jong, who has captained the side recently, has been a consistent cornerstone of Barcelona’s midfield and has a previous history of hamstring issues, including an injury in September 2022. Flick, considered one of the world’s elite coaches after winning six trophies with Bayern Munich in 2020 and securing a league and cup double in his first season at Barcelona, must now find alternatives. Options include the recently returned Pedri, Marc Bernal, Marc Casado, or Eric Garcia.
European Fate to Be Decided
Attention now turns to the Champions League draw in Nyon on Friday, 27 February 2026, at 11:00 GMT, which will determine the round of 16 pairings and the entire path to the final. The draw will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 in the UK and streamed on UEFA.com, UEFA.tv, the official Champions League app, and the TNT Sports YouTube channel.
Barcelona, who finished fifth in the league phase to earn an automatic seeded place, will play the second leg at home. They will face one of two play-off winners: Newcastle United or Paris Saint-Germain. Newcastle secured their place by thrashing Qarabag 9-3 on aggregate, with Anthony Gordon scoring four goals in the first leg, while PSG defeated Monaco 5-4. Barcelona have faced both this season, winning 2-1 away at Newcastle but losing at home to PSG.
The seeding means Barcelona and Chelsea, positioned fifth and sixth, reside on the same branches of the tournament bracket. Consequently, their opponents are directly linked: if Barcelona draw PSG, Newcastle will meet Chelsea in an all-Premier League showdown. Newcastle will therefore face either Chelsea or Barcelona, while Chelsea will take on either Newcastle or PSG.
This European crossroads comes as Hansi Flick, under contract until June 2026 and who recently oversaw his 100th match in charge, seeks to uphold his philosophy of winning with Barcelona’s distinctive style. The task is compounded by domestic difficulties, most notably a 4-0 Copa del Rey semi-final first-leg defeat to Atlético Madrid that featured an own goal from goalkeeper Joan Garcia, strikes from Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman, and Julián Álvarez, and a second-half red card for Eric Garcia.
With de Jong’s absence stretching across every competition, Barcelona’s capacity to navigate this critical period will be severely tested, beginning with a draw that sets their immediate course in Europe.
