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Barcelona have been dealt with another injury blow when Andres Iniesta went off with a hamstring injury in their second match of the Champions League group stage, Mirror reports. It has been confirmed that the Spanish midfielder will be out for at least four weeks.
Luis Enrique has admitted that his side’s first Champions League win (2-1 against Bayer Leverkusen) this season came at the price of losing Iniesta, the latest Barcelona player to join Lionel Messi on the sidelines. The club skipper was replaced on the hour mark by Sergi Roberto as soon as Iniesta was seen holding his right leg and signalling to the bench to take him off.
Iniesta’s replacement, Sergi Roberto stunned everyone with a late goal and Luis Suarez’s winner denied opponents Bayer Leverkusen a famous victory at the Camp Nou. The German side took an early lead in the 22nd-minute through Kyriakos Papadopoulos’ goal and had many chances to seal the win.
Luis Enrique’s men showed great character and determination to turn the game around and they did it in a 92-second spell. Although the manager was delighted with the win, he has described Iniesta’s injury as “terrible news” and has confirmed that Messi is likely to be sidelined for up to two months with a leg injury.
“These are thorns in our side we have to shake off.” Luis Enrique said. “I don't know the medical statement, but he asked to come off for a reason.
“He has experience and is an important player. I send him a message of support as he is an important player for the team.
“My players deserve a huge amount of credit for turning around a very difficult situation. It was a tough night – the second game without our best player and our second win.''
The club has also confirmed that the 31-year-old has a problem with his right hamstring.
“[Iniesta] had to leave the field in the 60th minute,” the statement said.
“Thereafter, the medical department can inform that the player has an injury to his right hamstring.”
Injury crisis for Barca at early stages of the season
The Spanish midfielder is now set to miss for four weeks and is unlikely to be named on the team sheet for this weekend’s crucial league game at Sevilla. With the recovery period, Iniesta could go on to miss Spain’s upcoming Euro 2016 qualifiers against Luxembourg and Ukraine as well.
Barcelona have been unlucky with injuries, especially at this early stages of the campaign with Messi injured and Rafinha set to join the squad only next year. The Catalan side already have a number of other players undergoing treatment and recovery from injuries including Claudio Bravo, Adriano and Thomas Vermaelen.
