Sevilla's Argentine international centre-back Nico Pareja will go under the knife on Thursday to fix a groin injury, his La Liga team said on Wednesday.

Pareja, the Sevilla captain, faces "several weeks" on the sidelines following his operation in Barcelona, Sevilla said.

The 33-year-old first felt the injury in February but went on to finish the season nonetheless.

The injury bothered him again in August against Getafe when he had to be substituted.

He had been receiving treatment for the injury since but with no cure in sight, club and player have decided Pareja needs an operation.

He has one Argentina cap, in a 1-0 friendly win over Brazil in November 2010, but was an unused part of Argentina's 2011 Copa America squad and played in the Olympic team in Beijing in 2008.

Source: AFP