After the international break, a source has told ESPN that Barcelona midfielder Pedri won’t be ready to play against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey semifinal.
The 20-year-old Pedri hasn’t played since tearing his hamstring against Manchester United on February 16 in the Europa League, but there was optimism that he would play against Real Madrid in LaLiga last weekend.
He started group training again on Thursday, but Friday’s session did not feel right, so Barca chose not to press the matter.
There is no set timetable for how long he will be out, but there is no urgency to have him back given that Barca leads LaLiga by 12 points after beating Madrid 2-1 on Sunday.
A source told ESPN that it could be “three to four weeks” before he returns, which rules him out of the Copa Clasico on April 5. Barca go into that fixture at Camp Nou with a 1-0 lead from the first leg.
Pedri’s aim is to be back before the end of the season and to be able celebrate a potential first LaLiga title for Barca since 2019 — and his first as a player — on the pitch alongside his teammates.
The Spain international also has an eye on the Copa del Rey final in May, if Barca can get past Madrid in the semifinal, and the UEFA Nations League Final Four in June, with Luis de la Fuente’s side facing Italy in the semifinal.
Barca also have fitness doubts over Ousmane Dembele, Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong ahead of April’s Clasico.
Dembele has not played since injuring his thigh at the end of January but is expected to return at some point early next month.
Araujo and De Jong both ended Sunday’s win over Madrid with minor issues which have forced them to drop out of upcoming matches with Uruguay and the Netherlands respectively.
However, both hope to be ready to face Elche on April 1 after the international break, with Madrid due at Camp Nou four days later for the third Clasico in a month.
Barca won the previous two and have now won three in a row in all competitions — including their Super Cup victory in Saudi Arabia in January — for the first time since 2011-12.