Jordi Alba to Miss Napoli & Real Madrid Matches as Barcelona Confirm Groin Injury

?Barcelona have confirmed Jordi Alba will be out of action for three weeks after the left back picked up an injury against Getafe, with the Spain international set to miss the first leg of the Champions League knockout stages as well as El Clásico.

Alba was forced off the pitch after just 22 minutes against Getafe, where goals from Antoine Griezmann and Sergi Roberto helped Barcelona move level on points with Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga table.

Barcelona have confirmed the 30-year-old picked up a groin strain at Camp Nou and despite not officially naming a recovery period, AS reports Alba will now face at least three weeks on the sidelines.

If their diagnosis is accurate then Alba might not return to Barcelona’s first team until after their match against Real Sociedad on March 7, also missing a Champions League knockout stage fixture against Napoli and the trip to face Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Barcelona still have Júnior Firpo who can deputise for Alba over the next few weeks, but Juan Miranda’s departure on a two-year loan at the start of the season has left the club short of options to provide cover at left back.

Manager Quique Setién has already been forced to promote players from Barcelona’s youth ranks to provide extra depth, with Ronald Araújo and Rey Manaj featuring on their bench against Getafe on Saturday.

Ansu Fati has been Barcelona’s most high profile academy player to be fast-tracked into the first team this season and the 17-year-old has been able to keep his place in the squad thanks to injuries to the likes of Ousmane Dembélé and Luis Suárez.

Fati will be a key part of their squad once the Champions League knockout stages get underway for Barcelona at the end of the month.

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