Lionel Messi injured and out for 3 weeks; Barcelona to miss him

Messi winces in pain. pic/AFP

Lionel Messi is out for three weeks with a fractured right arm but his last contribution was to help send Barcelona back to the top of La Liga on Saturday. Messi scored and then went off injured as Barca beat Sevilla 4-2 at Camp Nou, in a six-goal thriller. Any joy at jumping above in-form Sevilla, however, was tarnished by Messi's injury, which will now rule him out of next weekend's Clasico against Real Madrid.

A Barcelona club statement read: "Tests carried out on Leo Messi confirm he has a fracture of the radial bone in his right arm. He will be out for around three weeks." It means Messi will also miss the Champions League tie at home to Inter on Wednesday and the return trip to Italy on November 6 and league games against Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano in between.

A screengrab shows Messi's right arm twist awkwardly as he falls during a tackle against Sevilla on Saturday

"It is clear it's a blow. We know what he gives us and what he does to the opposition. We must prepare ourselves, it is clear we are going to notice the loss of Messi but we have players that can cover," Barca coach Ernesto Valverde said.

Messi fell to the ground following a tussle with Sevilla's Franco Vazquez and, as his right hand tried to cushion the landing, his elbow appeared to buckle. Messi was helped off the pitch by medical staff and, despite having his right arm heavily strapped, he was finally substituted in the 26th minute.

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