Barcelona suffers a serious injury before the shock of the Copa del Rey against Real Madrid

Barcelona goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen was ruled out for six weeks with a calf tear, the club said in a statement on Friday. He will miss both legs of the Copa del Rey semifinal against Real Madrid.

The Dutch international has not played in a Liga match this season, but he was the team's first-choice goalkeeper in the Copa del Rey during his three seasons at the club, winning the trophy in 2017 and 2018.

He made a vital contribution to Barca's win over Sevilla on Wednesday in the quarter-final second leg, saving a penalty from Ever Banega that, if Argentina had scored, would have seen Sevilla take a cumulative lead of 3 -1.

Barca won the match 6-1 for a combined 6-3 win.

German international Marc-Andre ter Stegen is expected to replace Cillessen in the first leg of the Barca semi-final against Madrid on 6 February and the return match on 27 and 28 February.

If the Barca out of the match, Cillessen should play the final against Real Betis or Valencia on May 25.