Dani Olmo’s latest muscle problem with the Spanish national team just before their 2-nil victory over Georgia couldn’t have come at a worse time for FC Barcelona. The midfielder’s setback adds to an already growing list of absentees that has left Hansi Flick’s squad looking thin and overworked.
As of October 12, 2025, Doftfootball understands that Barça are missing seven first-team players, including Gavi — who’s out till February 2026, Marc-André ter Stegen with a back issue, Raphinha nursing a hamstring strain, and young star Lamine Yamal struggling with a groin injury.
Spain announced the player’s injury with a post on the team’s official X account, and Olmo’s expected absence until early November just piles on more trouble, with the calendar looking brutal, La Liga matches, Champions League nights, and El Clásico on October 26 all squeezed close together.
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The club’s medical department is under serious pressure, as the fixtures keep coming with hardly any breathing space. Only a few games ago, the lack of freshness and backup in the squad became obvious as the Blaugrana suffered back-to-back defeats: a 2-1 loss to PSG before Sevilla dished out a merciless 4-1 victory just before the international break. It’s no surprise some players reported to international duty already showing signs of fatigue, while others avoided it with excuses of lingering injuries.
Analysts have been pointing fingers at the crazy match density claiming that this match congestion is one of the main reasons behind the sudden spike in muscle injuries. Even though FIFA allows five substitutions, it hasn’t really helped much; the pace and intensity of modern football just keep pushing players beyond limits. Youngsters like Gavi and Yamal are especially at risk, and that’s worrying in the long run.
For Flick, this means more headaches. He’ll now have to dig deep into the squad, giving more minutes to academy players and backup options. The real challenge will be keeping the team tactically balanced, Olmo’s creativity in midfield isn’t easy to replace, and with Fermin Lopes also unavailable, the rhythm of the team could easily break at a crucial moment in the season.
