FC Barcelona has suffered a double injury setback on Monday with the attacking midfielder Fermin Lopez has suffered a muscle injury, while Spain international Gavi will need exploratory surgery on a knee problem.

Fermin went down on the pitch at the end of Sunday's 3-0 win at home to Getafe, holding the back of his left leg with clear signs of pain, before limping off the pitch.

Pablo Gavi (L) of FC Barcelona vies with Raoul Bellanova of Atlanta during their UEFA Champions League match in Barcelona, Spain, Jan. 29, 2025. (Photo by Joan Gosa/Xinhua)

Tests carried out on Monday have shown he has suffered "an iliopsoas muscle injury in his left leg. He will be out of action for around three weeks" according to the official Barcelona website.

Fermin will miss Thursday's visit to Oviedo and next Sunday's home game against Real Sociedad, as well as next week's big Champions League tie against reigning European champions Paris Saint Germain and another La Liga game away to Sevilla.

There was worse news for Gavi after the club also confirmed on Monday that he would "undergo an arthroscopic examination," on his right knee to attempt to resolve a long-standing problem.

Gavi originally tore the cruciate ligament in the knee in November 2023 but had been back in action since the end of 2024 before the problem flared up again in the opening days of the season and he has been sidelined for around a month.

Barca reported on Monday that the decision to operate came after the player, "underwent intense sporting stress tests after finishing his conservation course of treatment for the radial injury to the internal meniscus in his right knee."

The club didn't announce how much longer this would sideline Gavi for, merely saying it would release an update "once the procedure has been carried out."

Barca coach Hansi Flick also has doubts over the fitness of winger Lamine Yamal, who has missed the last two games with a pelvic injury, caused partly by the amount of football he has played in recent months, while midfielder Frenkie de Jong has also struggled with an ankle problem.