Barcelona midfielder Rakitic injures leg muscle

By foxsports
Published

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) Barcelona will be without midfielder Ivan Rakitic for Sunday's Spanish league match against Villarreal due to injury.

The club says the Croatia midfielder tore a muscle in his right leg in the first half of its 3-0 win over BATE Borisov in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Rakitic walked gingerly off the pitch after being seen by team doctors and was replaced by Munir El Haddadi.

There was no indication as to when he would be fit to return for the Catalan club.

Barcelona will visit Real Madrid in the first ''clasico'' match of the season on Nov. 21.