Barcelona midfielder Ibrahim Afellay faces surgery after injuring his knee in training yesterday.

The Spanish and European champions did not indicate how long the 25-year-old will be sidelined for, but reports suggest he could be out of action for as long as six months after going under the knife.

A statement on fcbarcelona.cat read: "Ibrahim Afellay suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during training on Thursday afternoon. The Barca number 20 will have surgery tomorrow."

Afellay, who joined Barca from PSV Eindhoven in January, had just got back into Pep Guardiola's line-up after missing the start of the Primera Division season due to a hamstring injury.