Barcelona left with just TWO fit central defenders as Thomas Vermaelen suffers injured adductor muscle on Belgium duty
The Spanish champions have already suffered a major setback with the injury of Samuel Umtiti and their problems have deepened after Vermaelen's injury in Belgium's win over Switzerland
BARCELONA have suffered another major setback after Thomas Vermaelen picked up an injury for Belgium in their win against Switzerland.
The Red Devils international will be out for several weeks after it was revealed he strained an adductor muscle in their UEFA Nations League victory - meaning Barcelona only have two fit centre-backs remaining in their squad.
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The Catalan giants already have their World Cup winning centre-back Samuel Umtiti on the sidelines for around six months with a serious knee injury.
And Vermaelen's spell out means Barca boss Ernesto Valverde only has Gerard Pique and new signing Clement Lenglet at his disposal at the heart of the defence.
Barcelona, who are second in La Liga behind Sevilla, are already going through a bad patch - having not won a league match in their last four outings.
Now they are relying on the unfamiliar pairing of Pique and Lenglet to remain fit and healthy.
What's worse for the five-time European champions is that they now face a difficult run - with fixtures against Sevilla, Inter Milan and Real Madrid next.
It is a particularly bitter blow for Vermaelen too, who has struggled with injury since his move to Barca from Arsenal in 2014.
The centre-back has only made 27 appearances in the four years he has been at the club.
He will now miss Belgium's second UEFA Nations League fixture against the Netherlands and will return to Spain for medical attention.
Barcelona return to action against Sevilla at Camp Nou on Saturday.