Dani Olmo to miss Clasico against Real Madrid with adductor injury

Bad news for Hansi Flick right as the calendar throws the toughest fixture of the year at him. Dani Olmo will miss this Sunday's Clasico against Real Madrid because of an injury to his left adductor, and this isn't a short-term absence: the club is talking about roughly a month on the sidelines.

The blow came at an already difficult moment. Olmo felt discomfort in the first half of Tuesday's 4-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and had to be replaced by Fermin Lopez. The next day, back in Barcelona, medical tests confirmed what everyone feared: an injury to the left adductor, as the club detailed in a statement.

The 28-year-old Spanish midfielder won't just miss the clash with Real Madrid. The list of absences stretches to league matches against Alaves and Atletico Madrid, plus the Champions League game against Aston Villa. The good news, if you can call it that, is there's a chance he could return after the November international break.

This isn't the first time Olmo's body has let him down. Throughout his career he's been a player repeatedly hit by muscle problems, though since January he had strung together a stretch free of injuries both at club level and with the Spanish national team. That run comes to an end right before the match the whole of Barcelona wanted him available for.

Fermin Lopez takes charge in midfield

With Olmo out, all signs point to Fermin Lopez taking over the attacking midfield role for the Catalan side, operating ahead of Rodri and Pedri, repeating the part he played after coming on as a substitute in Paris.

But the absences don't stop there. Flick also won't be able to count on Eric Garcia, Andreas Christensen or Roony Bardghji for this Clasico. Added to that list is doubt over Jules Kounde, who is carrying an ankle problem that already kept him out against PSG and whose availability for Sunday hangs by a thread.

The footballing context adds even more weight to the match. Barcelona arrives having suffered its first defeat of the season, fittingly on Parisian soil, and needs to get back to winning ways as soon as possible. The stage couldn't be better for that: hosting Real Madrid at the Spotify Camp Nou.

If Flick's side wins, it would extend its perfect start in LaLiga to 10 straight victories, which would also let it open up a nine-point lead over Jose Mourinho's side at this still-early stage of the campaign. A huge prize for a team that, despite the absences, arrives under pressure to deliver in the match nobody wants to miss.