Spain : Primera Liga injured & suspended list (with statistics)

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has failed to recover from injury in time for the visit of his former club Lyon in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. The Frenchman has not played since Real suffered a shock 1-0 loss at Lyon in their last-16 first-leg match on February 16. Benzema has since been struggling with a groin problem and was left out of coach Manuel Pellegrini's squad on Tuesday along with the injured Royston Drenthe and Pepe, and suspended Marcelo and Xabi Alonso.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola and Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic have received one match bans for their red cards in the 2-2 draw against Almeria at the weekend. The referee sent Guardiola to the stands for arguing with a linesman, while Ibrahimovic got a straight red for a foul on Almeria defender Cisma. Both are set to miss Sunday's game against third-place Valencia, but Barcelona will appeal against their suspensions.

Striker Luis Fabiano and winger Diego Capel will miss Wednesday's UEFA Champions League match at CSKA Moscow due to injuries sustained at the weekend. Fabiano finished Saturday's 3-1 Primera Division win at Mallorca complaining of muscle pain in his chest, while Capel was replaced in the 55th minute also suffering from a muscular problem. On a brighter note, Frederic Kanoute has been included in the squad after recovering from a thigh strain.

Valencia defender Jeremy Mathieu will be out of action for three months after he has suffered torn ligaments, in the first half of 1-0 Europa League defeat to Club Brugge. Mathieu will undergo an operation on his left ankle to surgically repair the ligaments. That leaves Valencia coach Unai Emery without many options in defence as both Bruno and David Navarro continue to recover from their respective injuries, which will keep the former out for at least a week and the latter for up to 3 weeks.

Real Madrid have announced that Royston Drenthe is set to be sidelined for two or three weeks with an injury to his left leg. The 22-year-old Dutch winger, who was an unused substitute in their UEFA Champions League defeat at Lyon midweek, has been unable to train following the team's return to Spain. Drenthe has featured sparingly for coach Manuel Pellegrini's side this term. He has made just four starts and three substitute appearances in Real's 22 league games to date.

Barcelona's injury problems continue to mount after midfielder Xavi Hernandez has been ruled out for two weeks with a thigh muscle injury. The 30-year-old playmaker had to be substituted during the second half of his side's defeat to Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Barcelona are already without defenders Daniel Alves, Eric Abidal and Dmytro Chygrynskiy and midfielders Seydou Keita and Yaya Toure to injury. A further absence to coach pep Guardiola's side is Sergio Busquets, who will miss next weekend's home match against Racing Santander through suspension.

Defender Bruno is expected to be sidelined for four weeks with an ankle injury. The right-back picked up the problem in last weekend's 1-1 draw with Gijon and had to be replaced midway through the second half. Bruno, 29, will miss Valencia's upcoming Primera Division matches against Getafe, Atletico Madrid, Racing Santander and Barcelona, as well as both legs of the UEFA Europa League tie against Club Brugge.

Villarreal will be without defender Gonzalo for three weeks due to a tear in his left thigh. The 25-year-old has made 16 appearances in all competitions this season. The injury is set to rule Gonzalo out for the UEFA Europa League tie against Wolfsburg. There are also concerns over midfielder David Fuster who faces a last-minute fitness test on a left calf problem before a decision is taken on the 28-year-old's availability for the visit of the Bundesliga side.

Seydou Keita became Barcelona's latest injury victim after he damaged his right hamstring in Sunday's 2-1 defeat at Atletico Madrid. The Mali midfielder had to be replaced in only the second minute at the Calderon and will be out for around four weeks. Keita is the fifth Barcelona player to sustain an injury in the past week, joining defenders Daniel Alves, Eric Abidal and Dmytro Chygrynskiy and midfielder Yaya Toure.

Defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy has injured a thigh muscle and will be out of action for a week, leaving Barcelona without many options at the back for this weekend's trip to Atletico Madrid. The Ukraine centre-back joins Daniel Alves, Eric Abidal and midfielder Yaya Toure on the injury list, while Gerard Pique and Rafael Marquez are suspended for Sunday's match. Meanwhile, midfielder Jeffren Suarez will remain at Barcelona until 2012 after the 22-year-old agreed terms on a two-year contract extension.

Valencia have announced that defender David Navarro will be out of action for around three weeks. Navarro, 29, tore the femoral biceps muscle in his right leg in last weekend's 2-0 home win over Valladolid. Navarro will miss the upcoming Primera Division matches against Gijon, Getafe and Atletico Madrid, as well as the UEFA Europea League clashes against Club Brugge.

Karim Benzema will be sidelined for at least a week with a thigh problem. Benzema, 22, has definitely been ruled out of this weekend's league match against Xerez and is unlikely to recover in time for Real Madrid's UEFA Champions League first knockout round tie against his Lyon next Tuesday. The news will be a big disappointment to Benzema, who progressed through the ranks at Lyon and was a key player for the French giants until his departure last summer.