MADRID (AFP) - Atletico Madrid have been dealt a huge blow as the club confirmed influential Portuguese midfielder Tiago suffered a broken leg in his side's 1-0 win over Espanyol on Saturday.

The former Chelsea man was stretchered off in severe pain after an innocuous looking clash with Marco Asensio just after the half hour mark.

"Tiago suffered a non-displaced fracture in the third section of the right tibia," Atletico said via their official Twitter feed.

However, the club refused to confirm how long the 34-year-old is expected to be sidelined.

Tiago has been a crucial member of Atletico's success in recent seasons and had started all but one of their 18 games in La Liga and the Champions League so far this season.