Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta to miss Manchester City trip after suffering knee injury against Valencia
Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba are both already missing
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta will miss the return fixture against Manchester City and is facing six to eight weeks on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury in the 3-2 win over Valencia on Saturday night.
The 32-year-old hit the ground after a heavy challenge from Enzo Perez and was attended to on the pitch for seven minutes by the club’s medical team before being stretchered off the Mestalla pitch in tears.
And the club confirmed the midfielder would face up to two months out injured after initial tests confirmed damage to the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee.
Lionel Messi scored late on to snatch the three points for the Spanish champions but manager Luis Enrique was left furious with the challenge that left Iniesta in a heap.
"The worst thing [about the game] was the injury to Andres,” he said.
"It's a moment we've it seen clearly, because of how close we were, and we saw immediately that the player was injured and there was no yellow card.
“We'll see how long he's out for tomorrow, but yes, it will be a while. It's a serious injury."
Iniesta’s midfield partner Sergio Busquets was also disappointed with the injury.
He said: "Andres' injury is a shame. It's a dangerous place to get a knock and it can leave you out for several weeks. We hope he can recover as soon as possible."
Barca are already without defenders Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba and goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, while Arda Turan and Rafinha both pulled out of the game with injuries picked up in training.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments