Thomas Vermaelen will face another spell on the sidelines after injuring his thigh against Real Betis at the worst possible time.
Vermaelen was having a good run in the Barcelona first team before this latest injury.
Having struggled with injuries since joining from Arsenal in 2014, the Belgian had finally played his way into the starting eleven.
He played eight La Liga matches in a row, including a 3-0 win over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in December.
Unfortunately, he injured his thigh against Real Betis on Sunday night.
The good news is that he’s only expected to be out for two to three weeks, according to Mundo Deportivo journalist Roger Torello.
#NOTICIAMD Vermaelen estará de baja de dos a tres semanashttps://t.co/j0lO1gKau4 Informa @RogerTorello pic.twitter.com/C9mAtaqK7X
— Mundo Deportivo (@mundodeportivo) January 22, 2018
The bad news is that Samuel Umtiti is fit again and will take his place in the starting line-up.
The injury could not have come at a more inopportune time for him.
Vermaelen has found it difficult to rediscover his best form since leaving Arsenal, so it was pleasing to see our former captain performing well again, take the opportunity presented by Umtiti’s injury.
Hopefully, he’ll recover quickly from this latest injury and start competing for that first team spot again.
Vermaelen played 150 games for Arsenal after joining from Ajax in 2008.