BARCELONA, Spain -- Barcelona star Lionel Messi is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of 2013 after picking up his third leg injury of the season. The Argentina forward hurt his left leg Sunday in Barcelonas 4-1 victory at Real Betis and medical exams on Monday showed he needs a recovery period of six to eight weeks. That would rule Messi out until about Christmas, when the Spanish league takes its annual winter break. Barcelona will be without the four-time Ballon dOr winner for up to eight games, including its last two Champions League group games against Ajax and Celtic, four Spanish League matches and the two legs of the Copa del Reys round of 32. Messi, who has scored 14 goals in 16 games, has been plagued by nagging muscle problems since the end of last season. The 26-year-old star missed several weeks last month because of a right thigh problem after first hurting his left thigh in August. He was sidelined at the end of last season with a hamstring pull. Also, Barcelona says midfielder Cesc Fabregas will need one week to recover from a right knee injury, forcing him to miss Spains upcoming friendlies against Guinea and South Africa. Barcelona teammate Marc Bartra was called up to replace Fabregas for the friendlies to be played on Friday and Nov. 19. Pirates Jerseys 2019 . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Custom Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys . -- The taxing preseason, which included two games in China, is finally over. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/ . -- Wes Welker is unlikely to suit up for Denvers game Thursday against San Diego after leaving Sundays win over Tennessee with his second concussion in four games. Pirates Jerseys China . Now, Sarah Burkes legacy will live on in Canadas Sports Hall of Fame. Burke, who tragically died at age 29 from a training accident in 2012, headlined the 2014 class named for induction Wednesday. Cheap Pirates Jerseys . Riethers apparent stamp on Manchester United midfielder Adnan Januzaj during Saturdays Premier League match at Craven Cottage was missed by the match officials. A three-man panel of former referees reviewed the incident and all agreed that it was a sending-off offence.WHISTLER, B.C. -- Marie-Michele Gagnon completed a sweep of North American slalom titles on Tuesday by winning her 11th Canadian championship. Gagnon, from Lac-Etchemin, Que., won the U.S. nationals slalom title on the weekend by just one one-hundredth of a second and secured the double by winning Tuesdays race in Whistler, B.C., by clocking a two-run combined time of 1:45.27 seconds-- more than two seconds faster than her closest competitor. "Having a Canadian championship is always a good title. Its a cool thing, for sure," said Gagnon, who has national titles in slalom, giant slalom, super-G and super combined.dddddddddddd "There was a lot of snow and it made it pretty soft. Challenging conditions today." Gagnon, who is ranked sixth in the world in slalom and had a stellar 2013-14 season, racking up more than 500 World Cup points overall and claiming her first World Cup victory. She has more Canadian titles than any other active racer and despite being only 24. Gagnon led a 1-2-3 of Canadian World Cup slalom skiers, with Britt Phelan of Mont-Tremblant, Que., finishing second and Erin Mielzynski, of Collingwood, Ont., finishing third. ' ' '