Rodri to Miss Barcelona’s La Liga Opener Against Elche

Barcelona’s marquee summer signing Rodri is unlikely to feature in Sunday’s La Liga opener against Elche after sitting out full group training on Saturday.

On the eve of the first competitive game of the season, the midfielder was again kept apart from the main squad. According to Spanish daily Marca, Rodri did not step onto the pitch during the 15 minutes of training open to the media, working separately instead. For a player yet to debut, the timing is brutal.

The pattern has been the same for two straight days. He trained alone on Friday. He followed the same routine on Saturday. With no sign of integration into full sessions, his chances of making the starting whistle – or even the bench – look remote.

Marca describes his participation in the season opener as “highly complicated”, and only a late twist would bring him into contention.

Barring that surprise, Barcelona will delay his debut by a few more days.

It caps a whirlwind first week in Catalonia. Rodri arrived on Monday, was officially unveiled as a new Barcelona player on Tuesday, and instantly became the standout name of their summer window.

Now, instead of launching his La Liga story against Elche, he appears set to watch the beginning of Barcelona’s campaign from the sidelines, waiting for the moment he can finally step into the spotlight.