Jasper Cillessen Out 6 Weeks with Calf Injury Suffered in Training

Barcelona have announced backup goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen is set for a six-week stint on the sidelines with a calf injury.

The Catalans revealed he picked up the injury in training in a Twitter post:

Cillessen has been Barcelona's main goalkeeper in the Copa del Rey and has backed up Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the other competitions. He's impressed with his limited opportunities and played a crucial role in the 6-1 win over Sevilla that set up a semi-final clash with Real Madrid.

The Dutchman saved a penalty when the score was 1-0, taking away momentum from the Andalusians, who came into the match with a two-goal advantage from the first leg.

Sportswriter Samuel Marsden noted he was excellent in that match after hearing about the injury:

The Blaugrana have one of the world's best stoppers in Ter Stegen, who will likely be in goal for the two matches against Real in the Copa on top of his usual duties. That shouldn't be a problem as long as he doesn't get injured, but the Blaugrana could be in real trouble if he does.

Barcelona's senior squad only contains two goalkeepers, and while there's plenty of talent in the Barcelona B side―most notably Inaki Pena, seen as a future star―none of them have much experience with the first team.

Cillessen was strongly linked with a transfer during the summer, per AS, and every outing in the Copa del Rey gave him an opportunity to build up interest ahead of a possible switch in 2019. He'll miss out on two prime opportunities against Los Blancos, matches other clubs likely would have kept a close eye on.

Pena or another Barcelona B stopper is likely to be called up to the senior team for a spot on the bench for the foreseeable future, with the January transfer window no longer providing the Catalans an option to find a replacement. The window closed on Thursday.