Barcelona’s Luis Suarez has been ruled out for more than two weeks but should be fit for the champions league game against Manchester United. The 32-year-old was forced to leave the pitch late on as Ernesto Valverde’s side stormed to a 4-1 victory over Real Betis in La Liga.
Suarez managed to get himself on the scoresheet but Lionel Messi grabbed all the headlines in typically brilliant fashion with a stunning hat-trick. Uruguay international Suarez is Barca’s second top goalscorer behind Messi this season, with 18 to his name in the Spanish top flight.
A barcelona statement read; Tests carried out on Monday morning have confirmed that first team playerLuis Suárez has a sprained right ankle. He will be out for 10-15 days and now undertake his recovery with the FC Barcelona medical team, having been withdrawn from the Uruguayan national team squad.
Suárez was taken off late on in the 1-4 win against Real Betis at the Benito Villamarín, having scored his side’s third goal and provided an assist for Leo Messi, and was replaced by Carles Aleñá.
His goal was his 18th in LaLiga this season, and he is the second top scorer in LaLiga behind only Messi (29). It also took him level with Diego Forlán as the Uruguayan with the most goals in the division of all time, with 128.
He has been forced to withdraw from his country’s latest round of international fixtures as a result of his injury plight and he will remain in Barcelona to begin his recovery with the club’s medical staff. Uruguay are set to take on Uzbekistan in the China Cup this Friday, but they will now have to make do without their star striker.
Barcelona will be hopeful that he can recover in time to play a part in the club’s next domestic fixture against Espanyol on March 30, with a view to starting three days later against Villarreal. The Blaugrana also have one eye on a huge Champions League quarter-final clash against Manchester United, with the first leg scheduled for April 10.
The last eight tie will begin at Old Trafford before the second leg at the Camp Nou on April 16. Suarez has enjoyed another stellar season in Catalonia and after finding the net against Real Betis he equalled Diego Forlan’s record for goals scored in La Liga by a Uruguayan on 128.\
The former Liverpool and Ajax hitman has netted 21 goals in 38 appearances for Barca across all competitions, playing a huge role in the club’s pursuit of another historic treble. Valverde’s men are currently 10 points clear of Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga, with a Copa del Rey final to look forward to against Valencia in May.