Barcelona and France defender Jeremy Mathieu could be set for a stint on the sidelines after coming off hurt during his country's 4-2 friendly win against Russia on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old hobbled off not long after coming on as a substitute and a spokesman for the French team later indicated that he had suffered a meniscus injury in his right knee.

Mathieu, who lasted just eight minutes on his fifth appearance for France after replacing Patrice Evra at half-time, must now wait to see how long he faces on the sidelines but he is set for a race against time to be fit for Barcelona's clash with bitter rivals Real Madrid at the Camp Nou on Saturday.