Barcelona's Carles Puyol Out For 10 Days With Hamstring Injury

Barcelona defender Carles Puyol faces 10 days on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring injury while representing a Catalan select in a recent friendly against Honduras.

The Spanish World Cup winner reported for training as normal yesterday despite picking up the knock during the match, but was forced to withdraw early after suffering discomfort.

The club have confirmed a slight strain in the hamstring muscle of the right leg, and have recommended a recuperation period of 10 days to avoid further damage to the problem.

Puyol will definitely miss the Camp Nou clash with Levante on January 2, and is a serious doubt for the second leg of their Copa del Rey meeting with Athletic Bilbao at San Mames.

Coach Pep Guardiola now has a real selection headache for this weekend, with Gerard Pique also missing as a result of suspension.