Luis Suarez has been ruled out of Barcelona’s Champions League showdown against Tottenham, it has been confirmed.
Barca manager Ernesto Valverde revealed at his media conference on Monday evening, as quoted by Sky Sports journalist Jamie Weir, that the superstar forward will play no part in the Camp Nou clash on Tuesday night.
BREAKING: Luis Suarez will not play for Barcelona tomorrow night v Spurs, Ernesto Valverde confirms
— Jamie Weir (@jamiecweir) December 10, 2018
Barcelona have already qualified for the last-16 of the Champions League while Spurs might have to win against the Spanish champions to secure a top-two finish ahead of Inter Milan.
OPINION
What a huge boost for Spurs’ hopes of reaching the knockout stages of Europe’s premier competition for the second consecutive year. Suarez is one of the most dangerous forwards on the planet and was named in 13th place in the 2018 Ballon D’Or after another brilliant year in his glittering career. The former Liverpool striker turns 32 in January but his powers have barely diminished and he retains the all-round attacking menace that once made him the outstanding player in the Premier League. Suarez has an incredible record at Barcelona – 162 goals and 88 assists from 217 appearances – and has netted 10 times from 19 matches in all competition this season, including one in the weekend’s 4-0 hammering of Espanyol. Suarez did not complete that match and an injury or niggle could be the reason he one of the most durable players of the last decade is absent for a game in which Spurs must at least match Inter’s result against PSV Eindhoven to reach the last-16 of the competition.