15th March, 2018
FC Barcelona could be without vital midfielder Sergio Busquets for their UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg after the club said the Spain international would miss three weeks of action.
The midfielder had injured his toe against Chelsea FC on Wednesday in a last-16 second leg fixture at the Nou Camp.
“Tests have confirmed that Sergio Busquets has a hairline fracture on the fifth toe of his right foot. He will be out for approximately three weeks,” said a club statement on Thursday.
Busquets was taken off for Andre Gomes in the 61st minute of the game, which the Catalans won 3-0.
The win enabled them to go through to the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite club competition for an 11th consecutive year.
He will miss Barca’s Liga games at home to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday and away to Sevilla on March 31, as well as Spain’s international friendlies against Germany and Argentina.
The 29-year-old Busquets has played in all of Barca’s UEFA Champions League games this season and only missed three of their league games.
Barca will learn their UEFA Champions League quarter-final opponents when the draw takes place on Friday.
The first leg games are on April 3 and April 4, with the return games on April 10 and April 11.