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During Barcelona’s 5-0 win over Elche on Sunday, the only setback was the first-half injury picked up by Gavi. The 22-year-old was taken off in the 44th minute after seeming to hurt his knee, which led to medical tests being carried out so that the Catalan side could assess how serious the problem was.

Barcelona had feared the worst with Gavi, particularly because the knock was to the same knee in which he suffered a torn ACL and meniscus damage while playing for Spain in 2023 — an injury that eventually kept him out for a total of 18 months across two separate spells.

With Frenkie de Jong already unavailable, Marc Casado not part of Hansi Flick’s plans, and Rodri not yet fully up to speed after joining from Manchester City last week, Barcelona could not afford to lose Gavi for the long term. Fortunately for them, that will not happen, as the club confirmed in an official medical statement that the 2026 World Cup winner has suffered only bruising, meaning he could be back in action later this week.

It is very good news for Barcelona that Gavi’s injury is not serious, and although he is not expected to be sidelined for long, it would still be surprising if he were risked when Athletic Club visit the Spotify Camp Nou on Thursday for the rearranged Matchday 1 fixture. In that case, Flick would have only Pedri and Marc Bernal available as natural starters in midfield, although Xavi Espart or Eric Garcia could also be used there if needed, which in turn could open the door for Jules Kounde, Joao Cancelo or Alejandro Balde to come into the starting line-up.

Depending on how Gavi progresses over the next few days, he could be included in Flick’s squad for next Monday’s match against Rayo Vallecano. However, it is clear that Barcelona will not take any risks with him, and nor should they.