Dani Olmo ruled out for a month after Vitinha collision, Barcelona confirm

Barcelona forward Dani Olmo will miss Sunday’s El Clasico against Real Madrid after suffering a muscle injury in the defeat by Paris St-Germain.

The club confirmed on the morning after the match that Olmo is expected to be sidelined for about a month. His absence will also rule him out of Barcelona’s meetings with Aston Villa on 3 November and Atletico Madrid on 8 November.

Olmo went off in the 27th minute at Parc des Princes, holding the inside of his left thigh in pain. Fermin Lopez replaced him as Barcelona’s first defeat of the season was compounded by another injury setback.

The Catalan club had arrived physically drained following a week disrupted by flight problems caused by bad weather. Their preparations had also been affected by the absence of Eric Garcia, Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen, all of whom were unavailable with injuries, while attention had been focused on the upcoming El Clasico.

Specialist blames direct impact

Antonio Perez, better known as “Fisiotiduca” and a prominent physiotherapist who works with DAZN’s network, said Olmo’s injury was caused by a direct challenge from Paris St-Germain midfielder Vitinha. His assessment was reported by Spanish newspaper Sport.

“Dani Olmo suffered a direct blow. Vitinha caused the injury when he drove his body towards him, stabbing the inner thigh muscles like a dagger,” Perez said.

He added: “Dani Olmo was literally injured by Vitinha. It was the result of a powerful impact because the Portuguese player’s knee is as sharp as a dagger. Vitinha bends his leg and, when he uses his body excessively, he effectively causes a tear in the inner adductor muscle.”

Perez also said Olmo’s previous injury history and physical profile had contributed to the latest problem.

“There are players who might have avoided this injury, but we are talking about Dani Olmo, who has a long history of muscular injuries. He is a very sensitive player during long periods of play when fatigue begins to set in,” he said.

Olmo’s recurring injury problems

Since returning to Barcelona from Leipzig in August 2024, Olmo has suffered a series of fitness setbacks.

He sustained a strain to his right hamstring in September, a thigh strain in November and a soleus muscle strain in January 2025. In March, he suffered a fibre injury to his right adductor muscle, followed by another strain to the right soleus in October and a dislocated left shoulder in December.

Perez described Vitinha’s challenge in the 27th minute as “the final straw” for Olmo, who had been in excellent form and ended his scoring drought in Barcelona’s previous match against Real Betis. The latest blow has now sent him back to the treatment room.