Adriano injury poses problems for Barcelona

Madrid: Barcelona have suffered another injury setback with left back Adriano ruled out of action for at least 10 days.

Adriano was forced out of action at halftime before his side`s 5-3 home win over Granada Tuesday with a muscle problem in his right leg above the knee. He will miss Barcelona`s visit to play Mallorca in the La Liga Saturday, the Champions League match against AC Milan the following week and is doubtful for the home tie with Athletic Club Bilbao the following Saturday, Xinhua reports. The loss of the Brazilian is especially important because Eric Abidal is also out of action as he waits for a liver transplant and Barcelona are now without a specialist left back. Carles Puyol can cover on the left, but in important matches Barca coach Pep Guardiola prefers to play Puyol in central defence. Meanwhile, Dani Alves will be suspended for the trip to Mallorca after seeing two yellow cards Tuesday night. IANS