Barcelona: La Liga champions to be without a key player for the next league game

Ernesto Valverde is feeling the heat following Barcelona’s two defeats in the first five league games.

As things stand, the defending La Liga champions are trailing the current league leaders Athletic Bilbao and eternal rivals Real Madrid by four points.

That said, injuries to big stars such as Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele, and Lionel Messi’s lack of match fitness means the manager can’t be blamed entirely for the early season blues.

Now the latest news is that Valverde will be without Mr. Dependable Jordi Alba for the next couple of games.

The 30-year-old left-back suffered an injury to his left biceps femoris muscle during the UEFA Champions League encounter against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night.

? First team player Jordi Alba has hurt his left hamstring. Tests tomorrow will reveal the full extent of the injury. pic.twitter.com/MhxRyxPob4

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 17, 2019

However, following the scans, Barcelona confirmed that Alba’s injury is not as serious as initially feared. The Spain international could be back in the first-team training in the next 10-15 days.

Valverde deployed Nelson Semedo at right-back against Granada, with Junior Firpo starting at left-back. But the new summer signing from Real Betis failed to leave his mark on the game and was substituted at half-time.

La Liga returns to Camp Nou as Barcelona host Villarreal in the sixth round on Tuesday night.