Barcelona's Mascherano expected to miss 4 weeks

Barcelona revealed Wednesday that Javier Mascherano will be out of action for up to one month after suffering a hamstring injury while on international duty with Argentina.

It's unclear when the midfielder suffered the knock considering he managed to play the full 90 minutes during Argentina's 4-2 loss to Nigeria on Tuesday.

However, medical tests conducted by Barcelona's medical staff revealed the severity of the damage to Mascherano's right hamstring.

The injury is expected to sideline Mascherano for a handful of La Liga matches, including a crucial match with third-place Valencia on Nov. 26. He will also miss Champions League encounters with Juventus and Sporting CP.

If he manages to avoid a setback, Mascherano should be available for selection for the season's first Clasico when Barcelona takes on Real Madrid on Dec. 23.