Bayern’s Javi Martinez out for a month

Javi Martínez is expected to spend four weeks on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on his left knee.

The versatile midfielder/defender’s injury had set off alarm bells at Bayern Munich because Pep Guardiola was already operating on a skeleton crew in defence after Jérôme Boateng picked up an injury which will rule him out for three months.

Boateng, like Martínez, will miss the Champions League last 16 first-leg game against Juventus in Turin on 23rd February.

With Mehdi Benatia also recovering from a muscular injury, Holger Badstuber is the only out-and-out centre-back left at Guardiola’s disposal, which saw Bayern react by bringing in Serdar Tasci on loan from Spartak Moscow.