FC Barcelona captain Carles Puyol (34), injured in the 76th minute of the Champions League match against SL Benfica, has dislocated his left elbow. After being stretchered off the pitch, the defender was taken to the Lusíadas de Lisboa hospital for further tests. He was given anesthesia, and his elbow was immobilized.

Afterwards, Puyol was able to join up with the team to make the trip back to Barcelona, where he will spend Tuesday night at the Hospital de Barcelona. Puyol will undergo further tests on Wednesday to determine the extent of the injury and the treatment that will follow.

President Sandro Rosell and Sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta visited the player at the Lisbon hospital to check on his condition.

According to Barcelona based paper Mundo Deportivo, it is expected Puyol will be out for between four and six weeks. The paper also reports that the club has already contacted doctor Xavier Mir, a specialist in this type of injury, in case surgery is needed. Surgery would extend his time away from the pitch to at least two months.

Source: fcbarcelona.cat, Mundo Deportivo, Sport;  Image: Eduard Omedes (MD)