Atletico Madrid captain Gabi will have to undergo surgery after fracturing two of the fingers on his right hand in a domestic accident.
The 33-year-old played the full 90 minutes in his side’s 3-0 win over Valencia on Sunday with his hand in strapping but the injury will require immediate medical attention to remedy the problem.
The experienced midfielder will therefore be a doubt for his side’s weekend trip to Granada but was set to miss the return leg against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League – which Los Rojiblancos lead 4-2 – due to suspension after reaching the limit for yellow cards accumulation.
Sunday's 3-0 victory over Valencia saw Diego Simeone's men leapfrog over Real Sociedad into fourth.