Football
Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondent 7y

Barcelona sweating on Rafinha's knee test results

Barcelona are waiting on tests to find out the extent of the damage to Rafinha's knee, with the Brazilian midfielder taken off after 16 minutes of the club's 4-1 win at Granada.

He felt pain in his right knee during the early stages of the game and the club released a medical report explaining he has a problem with his meniscus, with further examination scheduled for Monday.

Rafinha's injury might prove problematic for Luis Enrique because he has used the player frequently on the right side of his attack since switching to a 3-4-3 formation.

With Barcelona facing eight further games in April, including the Champions League quarterfinal clashes against Juventus, the Clasico and the Catalan derby against Espanyol, it is an inopportune moment to lose an important player.

Luis Enrique said: "In principle [the injury is] nothing too serious but it's something that could mean that he misses the next few weeks, which means it's a big blow."

Rafinha has had bad luck with injuries this season and this is his fifth of the campaign, following bruised ribs, an Achilles tendon problem, a fractured nose and a thigh problem.

Paco Alcacer replaced the Brazil international and scored for Barcelona, as well as setting up a goal for Neymar, and he might find himself used on the right flank in the coming weeks.

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