Barcelona's Injury Crisis Deepens Following Crushing El Clasico Loss

Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen has had his time away from action prolonged due to a new muscular problem.

Christensen was among several players who missed Sunday's loss to Real Madrid, with his absence initially attributed to the gastroenteritis that sidelined him from the midweek win against Olympiacos.

While his illness wasn't expected to keep him out for long, Christensen was absent from Monday's training session following El Clásico, with multiple reports now confirming his extended absence is due to a new injury setback.

RAC1 (via Mundo Deportivo) identified Christensen's problem as a calf strain, suggesting this was the reason for his unavailability against Madrid. AS simply refers to the issue as "muscular".

Christensen is consequently not anticipated to recover in time for Sunday's fixture against Elche, as Barcelona continues to deal with significant injury problems.

Robert Lewandowski Closing in on Return to Fitness

Barcelona's medical bay was packed for El Clásico, leaving Hansi Flick with restricted choices, and despite wanting to make changes following the loss, the manager seems unable to implement them.

There was optimism that Christensen would have recovered by now, certainly for the Elche match, but he continues to be sidelined along with Raphinha, Dani Olmo, Joan García, Gavi and Marc-André ter Stegen, while the suspended Pedri is also ruled out for the fixture.

Fortunately, forward Robert Lewandowski is thought to be gradually working his way back to full condition. The Polish striker has been dealing with a hamstring problem but is scheduled to rejoin training this week and might feature against Elche as a substitute.

Flick must manage his injury concerns for at least the upcoming three matches, with none of his sidelined players expected to return before the international window later this month. The clash with Athletic Club on Nov. 22 is viewed as a possible comeback date for several players.