FCBARCELONA.CAT

01.02.2008 13:14

Puyol out for three or four weeks

www.fcbarcelona.cat

Carles Puyol will be sidelined for three or four weeks after tests revealed that he has a slight muscle tear in his leg that he suffered during the game against Villarreal on Thursday.

The Blaugrana captain has been told that it will take up to a month to recover from the two-centimetre tear that forced him to be substituted at half time in the Copa del Rey quarter final win against Manolo Pellegrini's team.

Between four and seven games

Depending on how long Puyol takes to recuperate, he could miss between four and seven games. The influential defender will definitely miss the league matches against Osasuna (03/02), Seville (09/02) and Zaragoza (17/02) and could sit out the games against Levante (24/02) and Atlético de Madrid (02/03). The Champions League first leg against Celtic (20/02) and the opening game of the semi final of the Copa del Rey against Valenica (27/02) are also doubtful.