Barcelona says Uruguay striker Luis Suarez will be sidelined for four months after having surgery on his injured right knee on Sunday.
The Spanish club made the announcement three days after Suarez played the complete 90 minutes in a 3-2 loss to Atletico Madrid in the semifinals of the Spanish Super Cup being held in Saudi Arabia.
His loss is a big blow to Barcelona’s aspirations of retaining the Spanish league title and of winning its first European Cup since 2015.
With 14 goals, Suarez is Barcelona’s second-leading scorer this season after Lionel Messi.
Barcelona plays Napoli in the Champions League round of 16, with the first leg in Italy on Feb. 25 and the second leg at Camp Nou on March 18.
The 32-year-old Suarez is the club’s fourth all-time leading scorer with 191 goals in 270 matches. He has helped Barcelona win one Champions League, four Spanish league and four Copa del Rey titles.
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