Barcelona centre-back Jeremy Mathieu has joined the club's mounting injury list and faces three weeks out after hurting his right calf as confirmed by the Spanish Champions.
The Frenchman limped out of Tuesday's 1-0 defeat to city rivals Espanyol in the Catalan Super Cup with tests subsequently revealing a muscular injury.
His absence further depletes a backline which is already missing first-choice defenders Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba, both of whom were recently ruled out for at least a fortnight.
Captain Andres Iniesta suffered knee ligament damage in Saturday's 3-2 win at Valencia and is expected to be sidelined for between six and eight weeks.
Mathieu will miss this weekend's league game against Granada as well as next Sunday's trip to second-place Sevilla. He is also suspended for Barca's return fixture against Manchester City in the Champions League on 1 November.
In the absence of several first choice defenders, the club's most dependable utility player Javier Mascherano will continue to plug the gaps, playing as right-back or centre-back when needed.
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