Barcelona Confirm Defender Will Miss Champions League Last-16 Second-Leg Against Chelsea With Injury

Barcelona have confirmed that full-back Nelson Semedo will miss the second-leg of the Champions League clash with Chelsea next month through injury.

The defender pulled up during Saturday's 6-1 win over Girona at the Nou Camp and was forced to withdraw late in the second-half.

The club have now revealed that Semedo has suffered a hamstring injury and could face over a month on the sidelines.

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A statement read: "The Club’s Medical Services department has confirmed that first team player Nélson Semedo has suffered an injury to his left hamstring.

"Further testing carried out has indicated that he will be out for approximately five weeks."

The update will come as a blow for coach Ernesto Valverde, whose team are set to embark on a crucial run of fixtures in the coming weeks.

After this Thursday's game against Las Palmas, Barcelona host Atletico Madrid in a huge game at the top of La Liga.

They then play Malaga and Espanyol in the Catalonia Super Cup, before meeting Chelsea with the score level at 1-1 from the first-leg at Stamford Bridge.

Gerard Pique was also an injury concern in last weekend's win over Girona, replaced in the first-half by former Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen.

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The defender was playing with heavy strapping on his knee, although it wasn't clear if that was the area of concern.

Barcelona are yet to provide an update on the 31-year-old, but he is expected to be left out of Thursday's game against Las Palmas.