Barcelona suffered a significant blow earlier in their season following an injury to their talisman Leonel Messi.
According to ESPN, the La Liga champions have confirmed that Messi will be sidelined for three weeks after injuring his groin during Barca’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
Arda Turan may end up filling the boots of Messi just as he deputised for Neymar over the start of the season when the Brazilian forward was on international duty for the Rio Olympics.
Turan is in line to start Barcelona’s fixtures against Sporting this weekend, Borussia Mönchengladbach in the UEFA Champions League and Celta Vigo in the La Liga.
- Sporting v Barcelona – 24 Sep
- Mönchengladbach v Barcelona – 28 Sep
- Celta Vigo v Barcelona – 2 Oct
Barcelona fans may have reason to worry as Messi also missed Argentina’s World Cup qualifier with Venezuela earlier this month due to the same groin problem.
Turan has been in impressive form for Barcelona this season and his flexibility means manager Luis Enrique can use him as part of the attacking trio or in central midfield.
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