Christensen to miss Clasico and PSG clash with thigh injury

The scare came in the second half of Barcelona's 3-1 win in Seville. Andreas Christensen twisted awkwardly after a collision with Scottish forward Robbie Ure and had to ask to be substituted. It was no ordinary knock: Sunday's tests confirmed a strain in his left thigh that will keep him off the field for several weeks.

That's where the problem lies for Hansi Flick. Barcelona's upcoming schedule is unforgiving: a trip to Paris on October 20 to face PSG in the Champions League, followed five days later by the season's first Clasico, on October 25 at Spotify Camp Nou against Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid. According to a source consulted by ESPN, Christensen could be sidelined for more than four weeks, putting his availability for both matches in serious doubt.

Before all that, the Dane will also miss something that stings on a personal level: Denmark's UEFA Nations League matches against Norway, Portugal and a double round against Wales. And once that extended international break wraps up, all signs point to him also missing Barcelona's games against Getafe, Galatasaray and Real Betis.

The injury comes at an unfortunate time for the center back, who had been a regular fixture at the back for Barca this season. He'd started the campaign rotating with Gerard Martin as Pau Cubarsi's partner at the heart of defense, making five starts in the eight matches played across all competitions plus two more appearances off the bench.

The odd part is that just this summer the club had renewed its faith in him: Christensen signed a new contract that ties him to Barca through at least 2028. Now he'll have to begin that new contractual chapter in the physio room.

Not the only one in the treatment room

Christensen joins a short but painful list of absentees. Frenkie de Jong is out injured and is expected to return to training at some point after the international break. More worrying is the case of Roony Bardghji, who could miss the entire season with a torn ACL.

The good news, if it can be called that, is that Flick's team enters this stretch of absences in remarkable form: eight wins from eight across all competitions and a five-point lead atop LaLiga. That gives some cushion to manage Christensen's absence without the project suffering right away, though the Clasico and the trip to Paris are precisely the games where a center back of his experience will be missed most.