Barcelona dealt cruel ACL injury blow with midfielder feared out for season

Barcelona fear midfielder Marc Bernal is expected to miss the rest of the season after suffering an injury in their 2-1 win at Rayo Vallecano on Tuesday night.

The 17-year-old started a third-successive La Liga game as goals from Pedri and debutant Dani Olmo helped the Blaugrana secure another 2-1 victory, taking them to the top of the standings.

However, the win looks to have come at a cost with teenager Bernal having to come off late in the contest. Barcelona have confirmed he has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and suffered meniscus damage, which could lead to him missing the majority of the 2024/25 campaign.

It's a bitter blow for new head coach Hansi Flick, who is already without first-team stars Frenkie de Jong and Gavi, and the German admitted the early signs of Bernal's injury do not look good.

Flick told reporters: "It's a sad victory because Marc Bernal is injured and it looks not so good.

"We have to wait and see how heavy it is. We win, it's OK, but when you see the dressing room nobody is happy.

"It's not good. He made a fantastic match - 17 years old, such a performance. It hurts."

Bernal joins fellow midfielders De Jong and Gavi on the sidelines, while Flick was also unable to call on Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen and Ansu Fati on Tuesday night due to injuries.

The former Bayern Munich boss is now stretched for options in central midfield but did manage to hand a club debut to summer signing Olmo, who had missed their first two matches of the campaign as Barca struggled to register him in line with La Liga's strict salary regulations.

The Euro 2024 winner came on at half-time and made the best possible impact, scoring an 82nd-minute winner after Unai Lopez had handed Vallecano the lead early on.

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