Barcelona were held to a disappointing goalless draw at home by Slavia Prague in the Champions League on Tuesday night, and they’ve reportedly received more bad news this week.
Jordi Alba was substituted at half-time and was replaced by Sergi Roberto as there were fears that he had suffered an injury rather than it being a technical decision.
As per Mundo Deportivo, it’s now been suggested that was indeed the reason with the Spanish stalwart said to have suffered a fresh hamstring injury which could now rule him out of action for up to five weeks.
The Catalan giants have yet to release an official statement on Alba, as they usually provide a medical bulletin on their players when they sustain a setback, but the report suggests that the 30-year-old could be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
That will be a major blow for Barcelona given his importance to the side both in terms of his experience and quality having made over 300 appearances since joining the club in 2012.
With 16 goals and 57 assists in that time, not only has he offered defensive quality on the left flank but he has been crucial in their attacking play too by adding width and supporting the frontline, and so if the touted spell on the sidelines is confirmed, it will be a blow for coach Ernesto Valverde.
That in turn could rule Alba out of some key clashes with Celta Vigo, Leganes, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, Mallorca and Inter all on the fixture list in the next month.
Naturally, Barcelona will be hoping that he can recover quicker than perhaps initially outlined, but given the nature of the injury with it being a muscle problem, they’ll undoubtedly have to be cautious too as the last thing they need is to rush Alba back and see him suffer a fresh setback to be left on the sidelines for even longer.
