Barca facing defensive headache ahead of top-of-the-table clash
Barcelona will be short of options in defence for their clash with top-of-the-table clash against Valencia next week.
That comes after centre-back Gerard Pique was booked for the fifth time this season in the 3-0 win over Leganes on Saturday, meaning that he must now serve a one-match ban.
Pique's disciplinary sanction comes off the back of the news that Javier Mascherano will be out for a month with a muscle injury.
That leaves manager Ernesto Valverde with just two fit centre-backs for the trip to the Mestalla in the form of Samuel Umtiti and the injury-prone Thomas Vermaelen, who is yet to feature for Barca in the league so far this season.
The 32-year-old former Arsenal defender has been so on the margins that he has only been named on the been for the Catalans three times, though he has featured in five of Belgium's last six internationals.
Both Umtiti and Vermaelen prefer to play on the left side of the central defensive pairing, further complicating matters.
Things could have been much worse for Barca though, with Umtiti also just one booking away from a game on the sidelines.