Andres Iniesta is a huge doubt for the return leg of Barcelona’s Champions League clash with Chelsea after suffering a hamstring injury on Saturday, the club has announced.
Barcelona will host Chelsea in the second leg of their last 16 clash on March 14 with the game in the balance after a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge at the end of last month.
Iniesta helped Barcelona restore parity by providing the pass for Lionel Messi’s goal in the first leg but now faces a race against time to prove his fitness for the second game.
The 33-year-old was subbed off with less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half of Barcelona’s 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday before the club confirmed the nature of his injury.
“Andres Iniesta has a hamstring injury in his right leg,” a statement read on their official Twitter account. “More tests are needed to find out the extent of the problem.”
Iniesta will certainly miss out against Malaga at the weekend and it seems unlikely the Spain international will recover in time to feature against Chelsea next week.
With Philippe Coutinho also ineligible to face the Blues, it leaves Ernesto Valverde with a problem on the left hand side of midfield.
