Barcelona under an injury curse

Injury curse strikes again for Barcelona, this time the injury was picked up by Eric Abidal who damaged his abductor muscle during practice. The French defender is expected to stay on sidelines for up to two months. Meanwhile, a muscle strain prevented Carles Puyol from showing up at training this week. Barcelona is facing Atletico Mardid in a clash on Sunday.

Coach Pep Guardiola will be forced to make significant changes in defence as Gerard Pique and Rafael Marquez are suspended, while Dani Alves and Yaya Toure are still sidelined.