Barcelona forward Lionel Messi will be sidelined for between six and eight weeks because of a hamstring injury, the club has confirmed.

The Balon d'Or winner limped off in Sunday's win over Real Betis in Seville on Sunday after 21 minutes after sustaining a muscle tear in his left hamstring.

The Argentina international has been hampered by injuries this season and had to be substituted against Atletico Madrid in August with a left thigh problem.

He also injured his thigh against Almeria in September.

As a result of his injury, Messi is likely to miss the games against Granada, Ajax, Celtic, Villarreal and Getafe, as well as both legs of the Copa del Rey clash with Cartagena.

Messi has had a string of similar injuries in 2013. He was forced to sit out much of the tail end of last season with a hamstring problem, which reoccurred at the end of September.