Bayern's Javi Martinez out 4 weeks after undergoing knee surgery

Bayern Munich will be without midfielder-cum-defender Javi Martinez for the next month, announcing Tuesday that the Spaniard is set for an extended spell on the sidelines due to a knee injury.

Martinez, 27, deemed the injury "not serious" earlier in the week, but, having gone under the knife, he will now be forced to watch some of the club's most important matches of the season from afar. The timeline given for his recovery means Martinez will play no part in the upcoming first-leg Champions League contest against Juventus on Feb. 23 and the Bundesliga clash against Wolfsburg four days later.

The injury to the same knee in which Martinez tore his ACL back in 2014 leaves Pep Guardiola with something of a defensive dilemma, as stalwarts Jerome Boateng and Medhi Benatia are also sidelined.

The ever-growing contingent in the infirmary prompted Bayern to make a minor move on Monday, as the club signed central defender Serdar Tasci to address its ailing backline.