Mr. Dependable Jordi Alba picks up his first injury in almost two years

Jordi Alba went off injured against Borussia Dortmund but it isn't an image Barça fans are used to seeing. The left back has been injury-free for almost two years now. Last year he didn't miss a single match through injury and you need to go back to October 2017 for the last time that happened.

On the 17th October 2017, Alba hurt his hamstring in training ahead of a Champions League contest against Olympiacos. He missed that match, a LaLiga contest against Malaga and a Copa del Rey clash against Murcia.

Alba suffered a spate of injuries in 2016 and opted for a personalised plan and diet to avoid the frequency of his absences from the side. He's expected to miss between 2-3 weeks with his most recent injury and will sit out matches against Granada, Villarreal and Getafe.

In those 23 months, Alba has missed very few matches. Last year he was rested for the match against Tottenham (Barça were through to the next round), Athletic (suspension) and Celta Vigo with the LaLiga crown secured. He was also rested for the first three matches in the Copa del Rey. In 2017/18, he didn't play against Sporting Clube de Portugal (already qualified), Las Palmas (suspended), Celta Vigo (rested ahead of Copa final) and Villarreal (already secured LaLiga title). In that season he missed the first three matches of the Copa too.