Barcelona will be without Sergi Roberto and Andre Gomes for a significant period after the pair suffered injuries during Tuesday’s Champions League draw with Olympiacos.

Roberto was removed from the contest just before halftime because of an injured hamstring that’s expected to keep him out for five weeks, the Spanish side revealed Wednesday.

It’s a major blow for Roberto, who had solidified his place in manager Ernesto Valverde’s team after appearing in 14 of Barcelona’s 15 league matches this term.

Meanwhile, Gomes picked up a thigh injury and is expected to miss three-to-four weeks. The Portuguese midfielder came on as a substitute late in the second half before suffering the injury in his right leg.

Despite the disappointing outcome of a goalless draw against an inferior team, Barcelona remains atop Group D with a three-point edge over Juventus with two matches remaining.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has asked for a special league meeting with NFL owners to talk about commissioner Roger Goodell’s contract extension negotiations, but an ownership source told ESPN’s Jim Trotter that owners currently have no plans to act on Jones’ request.

Jones’ request was made to ownership in a letter, the contents of which were reviewed by the Wall Street Journal.

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  Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ actions during commissioner Roger Goodell’s contract talks have been “detrimental” to the league, according to a letter sent to Jones by the NFL.

After seven substitute appearances in the league amounting to the equivalent of under two full matches, Jurgen Klopp has declared Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain “is like dynamite” every time he’s introduced for Liverpool.

The Reds parted with up to £40 million to sign the versatile Englishman from Arsenal in the summer, despite his contract in north London expiring at the end of the 2017-18 term. He inked what was believed to be a five-year deal on Merseyside, but is yet to play regular minutes in the central midfield role he apparently craved.

Still, following no assists, goals, and just one completed dribble in Premier League play for Liverpool, Klopp is impressed after Oxlade-Chamberlain’s cameo in Saturday’s 3-0 win over Huddersfield Town.

“He has shown his class each and every time he has had the opportunity on the pitch and the weekend was another example of this,” Klopp wrote in This is Anfield. “He is like dynamite when he comes on. Aggressive in the most positive way. Front foot always. Looking to attack and create. These performances come because of how good his attitude is in training at Melwood. He has the highest quality in everything he does; sometimes I think he is the last to realise this.”

At Arsenal, Oxlade-Chamberlain was more regularly deployed as a speedy winger, but Arsene Wenger’s change to a 3-4-3 shape saw the Southampton product crop up in a greater variety of positions. He appeared a natural fit as a wing-back, but is believed to have been most fond of playing in the middle of the park. He also played as a right-back in the Gunners’ opening day defeat of Leicester City.

With next summer’s World Cup in Russia looming, Oxlade-Chamberlain will be desperate for more game time soon. He’s squabbling for minutes in a midfield three with Jordan Henderson, Emre Can, Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner, and Marko Grujic. Competition will be increased further when Adam Lallana, England’s Player of the Year for 2016, returns from injury sometime after November’s international break.

“I am sure he is greedy for more starting selections and of course that opportunity will come,” Klopp continued. “He is very much in the infancy of his Liverpool life, but the ‘world’ in 2017 doesn’t always allow for patience. He is doing everything right in this moment and because of this I know he will be a big success for us.”

Liverpool faces Maribor at Anfield on Wednesday. The Reds were rampant in the reverse fixture two weeks ago, running out 7-0 winners in Slovenia to claim a slender advantage atop Champions League Group E.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Martellus Bennett is playing for the New England Patriots now, and Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews found some humor in it.

The Packers cut Bennett last week with the designation that he failed to disclose a physical condition, and then Bennett fired back by saying he needed surgery but claimed that team physician Dr. Pat McKenzie tried to make him play, which is exactly what Bennett did after the Patriots claimed him off waivers.

“We all got a good laugh from it,” Matthews said. “It is what it is. Martellus is in their locker room now and not here anymore. So now we’re just focused on the guys we have in here.”

Although Matthews wouldn’t say outright that Bennett was willing to play hurt for Tom Brady but not Packers backup Brett Hundley, the Packers Pro Bowl linebacker said: “He seemed to suit up and looked good on Sunday night.”

“You know what, I think everybody knows the story there — we don’t need to talk about it much more,” Matthews added. “Like I said, we’re focused on the guys in the locker room, but it’s an interesting story that will probably be talked about for a while.”

Bennett caught three passes for 38 yards on Sunday in his return to the Patriots, where he played last season before he signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Packers in March. The deal contained a $6.3 million signing bonus, and the Packers are expected to go after the unamortized portion of that, which totals $4.2 million.