Barcelona confirm Rodri absence for Atletico Madrid LaLiga clash

Barcelona have confirmed Rodri will miss their key LaLiga meeting with Atletico Madrid on November 8 after the Spain captain was withdrawn at half-time in Wednesday’s 3-0 UEFA Champions League victory over Aston Villa.

The defending champions lead the Spanish top flight by two points from Diego Simeone’s side, who are second. The match in Madrid will provide an important measure of both teams’ momentum before the November international break.

Rodri reported discomfort to Barcelona manager Hansi Flick shortly before half-time at Aston Villa. Marc Bernal replaced the former Manchester City player, with Barcelona taking no risks over his condition.

Flick did not give an update after the match, but the club have since confirmed Rodri’s absence for the Atletico Madrid test. Bernal is on standby to start again, potentially ahead of Frenkie de Jong.

Barcelona are also expected to be without Eric Garcia, Dani Olmo and Jules Kounde.