Andres Iniesta, the Barcelona maestro and captain picked up a knock against Valencia at the weekend and has been given a possible return time of around 6-8 weeks. The injury means that the Spaniard could possibly return in time to face Real Madrid in the El Clasico on December 3.
The incident happened after only 14 minutes and Iniesta looked to scamper away. The midfielder was caught by an Enzo Perez challenge which led to the injury and since then has undergone various tests to assess the damage.
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At the time, Iniesta burst into tears and it did appear as a serious injury. The initial fear of a season-ending injury has since subsided once the player underwent various tests at the Barcelona training ground.
Since then, the club has released a statement about the extent of the player’s injury stating, “The first team player Andres Iniesta has injured the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee following tests on his return to Barcelona after the team's away victory at Valencia. The midfielder is expected to be out for some 6 to 8 weeks.”
Barcelona’s Injury-hit season
A last gasp winner by Messi on the weekend ensured that Barcelona continue to be in the title race. Currently sitting third on the table with 19 points, the Blaugrana have been plagued by injuries. Key players such as Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba were injured in the midweek tie against Manchester City.
Messi and Neymar had also missed out the early part of the season due to various injuries and national team commitments respectively. The other absentees include the likes of Rafinha (rib injury), Arda Turan (elbow injury) and Jasper Cillessen.
Messi recently has come back after recovering from a groin injury kept him out. Since then, the Argentine has scored a hat-trick against Manchester City, before hitting a brace at the weekend.
The match was an enthralling match one with end to end action. Chances fell for both sides to score the winner, with an 80th-minute chance falling to Nani of Valencia, who blasted his shot wide of the goal.
Valencia’s resistance was finally broken in the 90th minute as Suarez was brought down in the box and Messi dispatched the resulting penalty with aplomb to ensure that Iniesta’s tears weren’t shed in vain.
