Barcelona and Poland forward Ewa Pajor was forced off the pitch during Sunday’s dominant 6–0 victory over Atlético Madrid after sustaining a knee injury. Though she managed to score earlier in the match, Pajor appeared to twist her right knee in a clash and collapsed in pain.
On Monday, the club released a medical update confirming scans revealed damage to the posterolateral complex of the right knee, but no associated ligament damage or ACL tear.
Treatment will be conservative, and the projected recovery period is four to six weeks.
The news relieved fans and the club alike, as fears of a severe injury swirled. Pajor’s blistering start to the campaign had been a highlight; she continues to be Barça’s premier attacking threat.
Still, her absence is a real test of Barcelona’s depth. With her sidelined, alternative forwards must step up in league matches and the Champions League. The club is hopeful she’ll be back before the winter period concludes.
This is a big concern for the club, which started well in the Champions League, winning against Bayern Munich 7-1, in which she scored two goals in that fixture. She was the women’s all-time goalscorer last season, winning the Gerd Muller, scoring 43 goals in 45 games in her first season at Barcelona. She has already scored 10 goals in all competitions this season and is a real threat up front.
This only benefits Chelsea, who hope to do the impossible and beat Barcelona at Stamford Bridge for the first time. With Barcelona's small squad and lack of depth, this injury comes at the worst time for the club, which only has 17 registered players due to financial restraints. However, the silver lining is that it's not an ACL injury and therefore is a shorter recovery than what was expected.
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