Villarreal could be without Bruno Soriano for their first match of 2014 after the midfielder picked up a thigh injury in their 2-1 defeat to Sevilla at the weekend.
The influential skipper was forced off at the interval of the La Liga clash at El Madrigal, although initial indications were that the 29-year-old had suffered only a slight injury.
However, the Yellow Submarine have confirmed a strain in a small muscle at the back of his thigh, which could rule him out of the league clash with Rayo Vallecano on January 6.
Bruno, who came through the youth academy at Villarreal, has made more than 200 league appearances since making his first-team debut in 2006.
