Thomas Vermaelen's long wait to make his Barcelona debut continues after the club announced that the defender remains sidelined through injury.

Vermaelen had been expected to be available for selection soon, but a club statement said that he has a sore right hamstring and missed training on Sunday. He was not named in the squad for Tuesday's Champions League trip to APOEL Nicosia and is unlikely to be called upon for Sunday's visit to Valencia in La Liga.

Despite Vermaelen's absence, Barcelona have the best defensive record in La Liga this season. David Ramos/Getty Images

The 29-year-old has yet to feature for Barcelona since they signed him on a five-year contract following his 19 million-euro move from Arsenal in the summer.

The Belgium international has been sidelined since an injury picked up at the World Cup -- where his only appearance was ended early when he was substituted after just half an hour in the group match against Russia -- but had been expected to be available for selection soon.