Barcelona loses Vermaelen for a month to calf injury

Barcelona are likely to be without Thomas Vermaelen for its next five matches after he suffered a calf injury.

Thomas Vermaelen will miss next five games for Barcelona.

Barcelona confirmed on Sunday that its centre-back Thomas Vermaelen will not be playing for  a month after he torned his calf-muscle against Levante.

Vermaelen was featuring in La Liga for just the third time this season in the 5-0 crushing of Levante on Sunday when he sustained the injury, forcing his withdrawal for Arthur in the 52nd minute.

The Belgian has endured woeful luck with injuries in his career, missing lengthy periods at Arsenal due to fitness problems.

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The issues continued after his move to Barca in 2014, robbing him of the chance of being consistently available for selection.

Vermaelen has already missed almost two months of action this term due to a hamstring strain, and he is unlikely to feature in any of Barca's next five games.

La Liga's pacesetters host Celta Vigo in its last game before the mid-season break, returning in January for league action against Getafe and Eibar as well as a two-legged Copa del Rey tie with Levante.