Barcelona face six-week Andreas Christensen absence after quadriceps injury

Andreas Christensen is expected to be out for about six weeks after suffering a quadriceps injury in Barcelona’s La Liga match against Sevilla on Saturday.

The Denmark defender was hurt during the seventh round of the league season. Barcelona’s medical statement did not specify how long Christensen would be unavailable, but Sport reports that the indications point to an absence of around six weeks.

Christensen has been an important part of Hans Flick’s plans since the start of the campaign. He signed a new two-year contract with Barcelona this summer and has featured in seven of the club’s eight official matches this season.

The 492 minutes he has played include five starts, underlining his importance to Flick despite competition for places in defence.

The injury is also expected to rule Christensen out of Denmark’s squad for four Nations League matches during the next international break.

He is likely to miss several significant fixtures for Barcelona as well. Those games include away Champions League matches against Galatasaray and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as La Liga meetings with Real Betis and Real Madrid.

The latest setback adds to a difficult injury record since Christensen joined Barcelona from Chelsea in the summer of 2022.

Last season, the centre-back played only 18 matches after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee during training at the end of December. He was sidelined for about five months as a result.

That was not his first major injury since moving to Camp Nou. During his debut season, Christensen sustained a serious ankle sprain and also suffered a muscle problem, leading to a combined absence of 67 days.

He ended the 2023-24 season with Achilles tendon problems, which continued through a large part of the following campaign. Barcelona were able to use his injury to register Dani Olmo in their La Liga squad.

Christensen returned in January but suffered another muscle injury only a few days later. That problem kept him out for 69 days and restricted him to six appearances during the season, which was his first under Flick at Barcelona.