Barcelona confirm midfielder injury setback

Barcelona have confirmed midfielder Fermin Lopez will miss around three weeks of action after suffering a muscle injury in training.

The La Liga leaders are already preparing for their Champions League opener without big summer signing Dani Olmo, who suffered a hamstring injury which is expected to keep him on the sidelines for around five weeks.

Fermin had missed the 4-1 win over Girona with a minor leg muscle injury picked up on international duty, but returned to training on Tuesday to offer a big boost to Hansi Flick's side, only to limp out due to an issue with his opposite leg.

"His estimated time out will be around three weeks," Barcelona confirmed in a short statement.

Midfield is proving to be a real headache area for Flick, whose options in the centre of the pitch are incredibly limited. Pedri is the only senior option available alongside 21-year-olds Pablo Torre and Marc Casado. 16-year-old Guille Fernandez was an unused substitute at the weekend.

Frenkie de Jong and Gavi have both joined in parts of team training over the past few days but are still expected to be sidelined for a little while longer, while Marc Bernal's season is already over after a nasty ACL injury.

A trip to Monaco awaits Barcelona on Thursday, before their bid to continue their perfect start to the La Liga campaign continues away at Villarreal on Sunday.

READ THE LATEST BARCELONA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP