Barcelona have suffered an injury blow ahead of their UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg against Inter Milan.
As reported by Spanish outlet AS via Barça Universal, left-back Alejandro Balde has been officially ruled out of the game to be held at San Siro on Tuesday.
Balde has been out of action with a hamstring injury since last month, having missed Barcelona’s last eight matches.
His recovery has not gone according to plan, and he now looks set to miss the Inter Milan clash.
The 21-year-old was expected to return to Hansi Flick’s side for their away La Liga tie against Real Valladolid this weekend.
However, the Spain international failed to make the matchday squad as Barcelona defeated Valladolid 2–1.
Any hopes of Balde’s involvement against Inter Milan have now ended.
Meanwhile, Gerard Martin is expected to deputise for Balde against the Serie A champions.
Balde has been a key player for Barça since making his senior debut in 2021 for the Catalan club.
This season, he has made 43 appearances across all competitions for Barça, scoring once and providing 10 assists.