Barcelona confirm Denis Suarez injury

MADRID, March 8 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona will be without midfielder Denis Suarez for around three weeks after the club confirmed he suffered a torn groin muscle while playing in the Catalan Supercup on Wednesday night.

Suarez' injury will see him sidelined for the next 14-20 days according to the Barcelona official website, meaning he will miss this weekend's visit to play Malaga, as well as the vital Champions League clash at home to Chelsea on March 14th and the league game in the Camp Nou the following Sunday as Barca entertain Athletic Club Bilbao ahead of the forthcoming international break.

If Suarez's recovery goes to play, he should be available for Barca's trip to face his former club, Sevilla on the weekend of April 1st.

Suarez has dropped out of favor in recent weeks and has not played since January 17th, with the arrival of Phillipe Coutinho moving him further down the pecking order, however, with Andres Ineista also suffering a hamstring injury and Countinho cuptied, Suarez would have given Barca boss Ernesto Valverde further options on the bench for the Chelsea game next week. Enditem