Barcelona midfielder Rafinha ruled out for four weeks with knee injury

Barcelona midfielder Rafinha Alcantara, who was substituted in the 17th minute in their 4-1 win over Granada on Sunday, 2 April, has sustained an injury on his right meniscus, the club have confirmed.

Paco Alcácer replaced Rafinha to good effect, scoring the second goal in the games, in what turned out to be an easy win for the host side. The 24-year-old has made 28 appearances this season in all competitions, which has largely been hampered by injuries.

The recent issue is his fifth setback of the current season, where he has suffered from bruised ribs, an Achilles tendon problem, a fractured nose and a thigh problem. Rafinha's absence will come as a massive blow to the Catalans, who have a very busy schedule lined up, with eight games coming up in April, including involvement in the quarter-finals of the Champions League against Juventus and a top of the table clash against Real Madrid.

"It doesn't seem like it is very serious, but it is something that will mean he misses the next few weeks," Barcelona boss Luis Enrique said, as quoted by Sky Sports. "He will be a big miss."

Spanish publication Sport reports that the player will be out for three to four weeks and will make a return against Espanyol in the final weekend of April. The Brazilian had tests to determine the extent of his injury, which confirmed that he has sustained a small injury to his right meniscus.

Barcelona are currently two points adrift of Real, having played a game more, which makes their clash against the leaders on 23 April all the more important. Should Madrid win, they will take what looks like an insurmountable lead at the top, with only a few games left in the campaign. Manager Enrique will try his best to scupper Madrid's plans and end his reign at Barcelona on a high.