Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Injured Ibrahimovic out of Arsenal game

April 04, 2010 16:17 IST

Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been ruled out for the visit of Arsenal in the Champions League next week after picking up a calf injury on Saturday, the club said in a statement.

The Swede, who scored both goals in Barca's 2-2 Champions League quarter-final first leg draw at The Emirates stadium on Wednesday, pulled out of the starting XI during the warm-up for the La Liga match against Athletic Bilbao at the Nou Camp.

An initial examination revealed he had a small tear in his right calf.

Earlier, Barca coach Pep Guardiola told a news conference: "It will be difficult for him (Ibrahimovic) to play (against Arsenal). I hope he'll be ready at least for the Madrid game. He had complained of some problems after the match in London."

The European champions face a busy week with Arsenal visiting on Tuesday before Barca visit La Liga title rivals Real Madrid for 'El Clasico' at the Bernabeu next Saturday.

Ibrahimovic was replaced by Bojan Krkic before kickoff against Bilbao and the youngster scored twice in a 4-1 victory.

Defender Gerard Pique also finished the game with a muscle problem and will be out for six to seven days, the club added.

The Spanish international is suspended for the Arsenal game but could make it back in time for the visit to Real.

Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.