Valbuena out of action for up to six weeks
Marseille's Mathieu Valbuena will be out of action for up to six weeks with a dislocated shoulder suffered in Tuesday's 1-0 defeat to Lille.
The midfielder was taken off 17 minutes from time at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, and Elie Baup's men went on to lose the game to a late Nolan Roux strike.
While a statement on Marseille's website confirmed he faced a lay-off of between four and six weeks, Baup is hopeful the France international can return sooner.
"As regards Mathieu Valbuena, if the recovery is good, he will be sidelined for a few weeks - you should speak to the doctor - three or four weeks maybe," Baup explained on Tuesday.
"Conceding a goal in stoppage time, along with our failure to score, and in addition to losing Mathieu, and perhaps Dimitri (Payet), who has a calf problem, it's (been) a tough night."
Payet was withdrawn 12 minutes from the end at Lille as Marseille's three-game winning streak in Ligue 1 came to an end.
They sit fourth in the league, eight points off Monaco who occupy the third and final UEFA Champions League spot.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
‘Eddie Howe wished me all the best, but when you’re at a rival club you don’t text too often – I still hear about his Bournemouth achievements every day’: Andoni Iraola reveals messages with Newcastle United manager
‘I had to prove myself to the Nottingham Forest fans after crossing the divide from Derby, but it didn’t take too long – I showed I was there to score goals’: Ex-Forest striker reveals how tough start at City Ground quickly changed