Marc Bernal. Photo from FC Barcelona official website.
Madrid: FC Barcelona has suffered an injury setback ahead of the first leg of its Champions League quarterfinal against Atletico Madrid, with in-form central midfielder Marc Bernal diagnosed with a twisted ankle that will rule him out of Wednesday's first leg at Camp Nou.
Bernal came on in the 40th minute to replace Ronald Araujo in Barcelona's 2-1 La Liga win away to Atletico Saturday night, but was forced off in the 60th minute and replaced by Jules Kounde.
The club confirmed that he has suffered a Grade 1 ankle sprain, which means he will miss Wednesday's vital game and next weekend's La Liga match at home to Espanyol, but still has a chance of recovering for the return leg when Barcelona visits the Metropolitano Stadium April 14.
Bernal's injury comes with Frenkie de Jong still sidelined by a hamstring problem, meaning Eric Garcia is likely to start in midfield Wednesday night.
The good news for Barcelona is that Araujo has suffered only a slight muscle strain and should be available.
