Barcelona have confirmed that defender Alejandro Balde has suffered a hamstring injury, with sources telling ESPN he is at risk of missing the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid.
Balde, 21, had to be taken off in the first half of Saturday’s 1-0 LaLiga win against Leganés, which extended Barça’s unbeaten run in all competitions to 24 games.
Hansi Flick refused to comment on the severity of the injury after the match, but tests at the club’s training ground on Sunday confirmed the left-back will sit out some significant fixtures.
“Tests carried out on Sunday morning on the first team player Alejandro Balde confirm that he has a distal injury to his left hamstring. His return to action with the first team will depend on his recovery,” Barça said in a statement on Sunday.
Balde will first miss Tuesday’s Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Borussia Dortmund, before back-to-back league fixtures at home to Celta Vigo and Mallorca. Sources have told ESPN he is likely to miss the Copa Clásico final on April 26 too.
A potential Champions semifinal first leg against Bayern Munich or Inter Milan the following midweek may also come too soon, with Real Valladolid on May 4 or the second leg of that semifinal seen as possible return dates at this stage.
Balde has played an important role under Hansi Flick, making 43 appearances in all competitions this season and scoring one goal and providing 10 assists.
In the few games he has not played, his place in the team has been taken by Gerard Martín, who took his place at Leganés on Sunday.
Martín, 23, joined Barça’s reserve team from Cornellà in 2023 and was promoted to the first team by Flick last summer.
He has featured 31 times this season, although just 10 of those appearances have been as a starter.
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