Barcelona face Chelsea in the Champions League next week, but Ernesto Valverde reportedly has more bad injury news concerning Denis Suarez.
The Catalan giants are in a strong position having bagged an away goal in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge in the first leg, and so they’ll be confident of their chances in the reverse fixture.
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However, as they continue to battle for the La Liga title, coupled with an upcoming Copa del Rey final, Valverde will be desperate to have as close to a fully-sit squad to choose from as possible for the business end of the campaign.
According to Football.London, that doesn’t look like happening as Suarez picked up a problem in the game against Espanyol in the Catalan Super Cup meeting on Wednesday, and now faces a spell on the sidelines with an adductor muscle injury.
The 24-year-old has been limited to just 18 appearances so far this season, but with the report also noting how Andres Iniesta is an injury doubt after sustaining a hamstring problem, Suarez could have been given he nod at the Nou Camp to take his place.
Instead, Valverde will now have to consider his other options with Andre Gomes potentially in line to start in midfield alongside the likes of Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and Paulinho.
It remains to be seen what Barcelona go with, but they’ll undoubtedly be hoping that the negative injury news stops there as ultimately they can’t afford to see more players face a spell in the treatment room at such a crucial stage of the campaign.
As for Chelsea, it’s good news that Barca have a possible headache on their hands in terms of selections, but given the quality and depth that the Catalan giants boast, they’ll be confident of filling the void efficiently in order to advance to the quarter-finals.