Luis Suarez is a doubt for Barcelona’s Champions League quarter-final clash with Manchester United after suffering an ankle sprain against Real Betis.
Lionel Messi stole the headlines with a stunning hat-trick in Barca’s comfortable 4-1 victory on Sunday night and Suarez scored a superb third goal for Ernesto Valverde’s men at the Benito Villamarin Stadium.
The goal was Suarez’s 18th of the season in La Liga but, not long after Uruguayan’s spectacular solo effort, he was forced off with a sprained ankle.
Carles Alena came on to replace Suarez as the Catalan giants held on for the win to maintain their 10-point lead over Atletico Madrid at the top of the table.
The former Liverpool forward will be assessed on Monday as Barcelona prepare for a crucial run of fixtures, with matches against Atleti and United on the horizon.
A Barcelona statement following the match said: ‘The first team player Luis Suarez has a sprained right ankle and he will undergo more tests on Monday to find out the exact extent of the injury.’
Barca travel to Old Trafford for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash with United on April 10 before the return leg at the Nou Camp on April 16.
Asked about Suarez’s injury, Valverde explained: ‘He has a bad sprain.
‘We’ll see what the doctors say but this is the feeling we have.’
Barcelona will wait to discover the severity of Suarez’s injury before releasing the striker for international duty.
Uruguay are preparing to take on Uzbekistan in the China Cup on Friday evening.
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