Iniesta admits 'it could have been worse' after Barcelona confirm 6-8 week absence

Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta admits he is a little fortunate after the club confirmed he will miss up to eight weeks with a knee injury.

Iniesta was taken off on a stretcher following a heavy challenge from Enzo Perez in the first half of Saturday's LaLiga win over Valencia.

The Spain international appeared to jar his right leg as Perez slid in with a robust tackle after 14 minutes at Mestalla and was taken off in clear discomfort.

Barca confirmed after the match that he had sustained damage to a collateral ligament and, after further tests, announced that he is likely to be sidelined until the middle of December.

It had been feared that Iniesta had sustained a more serious ligament tear that could keep him out for months, and the 32-year-old was a little relieved with the news.

"It's not an easy moment, it'll be a few weeks but it could have been a lot worse...," he wrote on his official Twitter page.

"I want to thank you for all the messages of support! Hugs!

Barca have been blighted by injuries this week, with Jordi Alba and Gerard Pique both forced off in the Champions League win over Manchester City, while Arda Turan and Rafinha picked up knocks in training that ruled them out of Saturday's 3-2 victory.