BARCELONA (AFP) - Barcelona confirmed on Thursday that defenders Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba will be sidelined for at least a fortnight, after they were injured in Wednesday's Champions League clash with Manchester City.

Both players hobbled off during the first half of Barca's 4-0 victory, with Pique spraining his ankle in a challenge with City midfielder David Silva, and Alba lasting just 10 minutes having been rushed back from a hamstring injury.

Pique's injury is expected to rule him out for three weeks, with the Spain pair set to miss league games against Valencia, Granada and Sevilla as well as the return trip to City on Nov 1.

French internationals Jeremy Mathieu, who was later sent off, and Lucas Digne replaced the injured duo at the Camp Nou on Wednesday and will likely see more playing time in the coming fixtures.