Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez sidelined for two weeks after calf injury

FC Barcelona has confirmed that their Spanish midfielder Fermin Lopez will miss the next two weeks due to a calf injury, as announced by the club on Thursday.

The team stated that Fermin has sustained a minor injury to the soleus muscle in his right leg with an expected recovery period of about two weeks.

The 22-year-old is expected to sit out three La Liga matches against Alaves, Atletico Madrid and Real Betis, while his availability for the Champions League home game versus Eintracht Frankfurt on December 9 remains uncertain.

Under manager Hansi Flick, the midfielder was beginning to secure a spot as a regular in the starting lineup, despite not being a familiar figure internationally outside Spain.

Last season, Lopez featured in 46 games under Flick as Barcelona claimed a domestic treble, though he frequently entered as a substitute.

Having picked up an injury towards the end of September, he had made his way back into the squad and netted five goals while providing four assists across six appearances.

Sitting in second place in the La Liga standings, Barcelona were beaten 3-0 by Chelsea in their Champions League encounter this week.