Barca begins vital run without two stars

Injury-ravaged Barcelona could be without seven first-team players as it looks to consolidate its position at the top of La Liga at home to Granada on Saturday.

The Catalans will begin a run of eight games across three competitions before Christmas without four-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi after he tore his left hamstring in Barca's last outing away to Real Betis a fortnight ago.

Barca's injury crisis has deepened since then as goalkeeper Victor Valdes will also miss the rest of the year after rupturing a calf muscle in Spain's 1-0 friendly defeat to South Africa in midweek.

Rightback Dani Alves also returned from international duty with a calf problem that will see him sidelined for up to 10 days, while Gerard Pique, Cesc Fabregas and Xavi Hernandez are also in doubt and Jordi Alba remains out injured.

Valdes' absence means 38-year-old stopper Jose Manuel Pinto will start in goal for the next six weeks.

And defender Javier Mascherano is confident Pinto's experience will be key in deputizing for the in-form Valdes.

With such a raft of injuries, coach Gerardo Martino may be forced to hand 21-year-old Sergi Roberto his first start of the season in midfield.

Neymar, meanwhile, will carry the significant burden of compensating for the loss of Messi in attack.

Should Barca slip up at the Camp Nou on league duty for the first time in more than a year, Real Madrid will be confident of cutting its six-point deficit on the leader when it travels to Almeria.

- Agence France-Presse

(China Daily 11/23/2013 page15)