Prieto faces lay-off

Real Sociedad midfielder Xabi Prieto faces a spell on the sidelines after suffering a bruised right thigh in Tuesday’s 4-1 defeat to Barcelona.

The 30-year-old was withdrawn after 21 minutes at Camp Nou, with his side already two goals down thanks to strikes from Neymar and Lionel Messi.

In a statement on the club’s website, it was confirmed that the midfielder suffered a “bruised right thigh”, “torn muscle fibres” and “significant bleeding” in the vastus intermedius muscle.

The club have not commented on how long Prieto could be out of action for, but said that he is undergoing physical therapy in order to recover.

Prieto’s injury will be a blow for Jagoba Arrasate’s side, who are without a win since the opening day of the season.

He has featured in all six of the club’s La Liga games this season, scoring in the 2-1 defeat against Atletico Madrid at the start of September.

Sociedad face Sevilla this Saturday before travelling to Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.