Pedri González injured: when will he play for Barcelona again?

Pedri González will be out for Football Club Barcelona in their last official match of the year 2025, against Villarreal this Sunday, December 21 (16:15 CET). On Saturday, the club confirmed the medical report for the midfielder, who was ruled out for matchday 17 of LaLiga EA Sports 2025/26 due to "mild muscular discomfort," as detailed in the statement shared by the club.

The 23-year-old player missed the last training sessions with Barça due to discomfort in his left calf and Hansi Flick himself confirmed his absence against Villarreal as a precaution. "It's nothing serious, but he needs to be looked after, he needs treatment. We won't take risks with a hamstring injury," the manager explained at the press conference prior to the visit to Villarreal.

Pedri had already missed four games in November due to a right hamstring injury. In that regard, **Sunday's match will be the sixth game** the '8' has missed in 25/26, the fourth in LaLiga, where he was also suspended against Elche.

How many games will Pedri miss for Barcelona?

Considering that the visit to Villarreal will be Barça's last official match of the year, the Tegueste native would only miss one game due to his calf injury. For now, the midfielder has accumulated 1,459 minutes of action spread across 19 appearances (17 as a starter) in which he has scored 2 goals and provided 6 assists.For Hansi Flick, Pedri's absence is key to the reorganization of his midfield, even more so when Dani Olmo will also not be available on Sunday at the Estadio de la Cerámica. The '8' is the team's brain and, without him on the field, Barça loses clarity and fluidity in possession.

Against Villarreal, Frenkie de Jong and Fermín López could take on the Tinerfeño's role in midfield, where Eric García seems to be settling in as a defensive pivot. Marc Casadó and Marc Bernal have had little prominence in recent weeks, while Raphinha and Lamine Yamal have alternated the attacking midfield role with their usual position on the wing.

Barça sets Pedri González's return date

Unlike other injury scenarios, Barça did reveal when Pedri González should return to action with the first team. The Blaugrana medical staff is confident that the '8' will be available for the first match of 2026, on Saturday, January 3rd against Espanyol in Cornellà (9:00 PM CEST).

Regarding this, Hansi Flick himself was emphatic: "He will be available against Espanyol and for the Super Cup, we need Pedri in January," the Barça coach stated. Barça could play up to eight matches in January, including a potential Spanish Super Cup final, where the Catalans debut on January 7 against Athletic.

After the tournament in Arabia, Barça visits Real Sociedad at the start of the second half of LaLiga. On January 21st, they are scheduled to visit Slavia Prague for the seventh matchday of the Champions League group stage. Real Oviedo and Copenhagen will be the last rivals for the Catalans in the first month of 2026, which also includes the Copa del Rey round of 16 tie (opponent to be defined).

FC Barcelona Calendar in January 2026

1. Saturday, January 3: vs Espanyol in Cornellà (9:00 PM CEST), LaLiga matchday 18.
2. Wednesday, January 7: vs Athletic in Arabia (9:00 PM CEST), Spanish Super Cup semifinal.
3. January 13, 14, or 15: opponent and time to be defined, Copa del Rey round of 16.
4. January 17 or 18: vs Real Sociedad in San Sebastián, LaLiga matchday 20.
5. January 21: vs Slavia Prague in Czechia, Champions League matchday 7.
6. January 24 or 25: vs Real Oviedo at Camp Nou, LaLiga matchday 21.
7. January 28: vs Copenhagen at Camp Nou, Champions League matchday 8.