Managing a relentless Rodri, match by match

Barcelona midfielder Rodri suffered a right hamstring injury against Aston Villa and will miss 3–4 weeks, ruling him out of the Atlético Madrid clash and Spain's international break.

Rodri was substituted at half-time during Barcelona's match against Aston Villa after sustaining a biceps femoris injury to his right leg. The midfielder is expected to be sidelined for three to four weeks, which will also prevent him from being called up for Spain's international fixtures during the break.

The injury comes after an intense run of fixtures for the 30-year-old. Rodri played the full 90 minutes in four of his previous five matches before the injury: the 1–2 loss to Real Madrid, the 6–1 win over Alavés, and the 1–4 defeat to Galatasaray, with only a brief 30-minute cameo as a substitute against PSG offering respite. He has featured in 14 of Barcelona's 15 matches since joining the club in September, missing only the opening 5–0 win over Elche.

The injury highlights the accumulated fatigue from his demanding schedule. In the previous international break, Rodri played all four Nations League matches for Spain, accumulating 256 minutes. Combined with his involvement in the World Cup, where he played 726 minutes, and his 945 minutes already logged with Barcelona this season, he has played nearly as many minutes by November as he did throughout the entire previous campaign with Manchester City due to injury problems. Barcelona manager Hansi Flick will assess his recovery during the international break.