Spain defender Alba to miss qualifier vs France

Spain defender Alba to miss qualifier vs France

Published Mar. 24, 2013 10:45 a.m. ET

Barcelona says defender Jordi Alba will be sidelined at least a week with a leg injury, ruling him out of Spain's World Cup qualifier against France on Tuesday.

The left back is also doubtful for the first leg of Barcelona's Champions League quarterfinal at Paris Saint-Germain on April 2.

Alba injured a muscle in his right leg during Spain's 1-1 tie with Finland on Friday. The former Valencia player played in 35 games for Barcelona since joining the club during the offseason.

He was a regular for Spain last summer when the world champions won their second straight European championship.

ADVERTISEMENT

Spain trails France by two points in Group I. The game in Paris could go a long way in determining which team wins the group and the automatic berth for the 2014 World Cup.

share