BARCELONA - Barcelona playmaker Lionel Messi is set to be out of action for around six weeks with the hamstring injury he suffered during Tuesday's Champions League match with Celtic.
Messi limped out of the clash in tears after sustaining the problem during the first half of the 1-0 win, and tests on Wednesday have revealed the extent of the damage.
It is expected the Argentina international will be out for a month and a half, meaning he is likely to miss around six league games, plus the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Valencia and both of Barca's Champions League quarter-final matches.
Barca, who beat Celtic 4-2 on aggregate, are second in the Primera Liga standings, five points behind leaders Real Madrid, while they drew their Copa del Rey semi-final first leg 1-1 against Valencia.
