Barcelona's Denis Suarez unavailable for Chelsea clash after being ruled out for up to three weeks

Barcelona will be without Denis Suarez for next Wednesday's [14 March] Champions League last-16 second-leg clash with Chelsea after confirming the extent of an injury suffered by the Spanish midfielder during the Catalan Super Cup last night.

Suarez started the goalless derby draw against Espanyol at the Camp d'Esports de Lleida and generally impressed before being replaced by B team loanee Cristian Rivera - one of several youngsters included in an experimental Blaugrana squad - two minutes before half-time following a challenge with Didac Vila that also left the latter injured.

"I was pleased with how he was playing because he was very committed to the game and what we were trying to do," Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde said after watching his side triumph 4-2 on penalties, per Marca.

"It is a pity about his injury, it is just a blow to his adductor muscle. I don't think he'll be out for a long time and he'll be back with us again shortly."

Barcelona have since revealed via their official website that Suarez has indeed strained his left adductor muscle and will be sidelined for between 15-20 days.

Such a timeline, if accurate, means the 24-year-old will definitely miss the home leg of that tie with Chelsea - finely poised after Lionel Messi's first goal in nine games against the Premier League giants cancelled out Willian's opener and sealed a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge last month - in addition to Saturday'sv [10 March] La Liga trip to Malaga.

Suarez should also remain absent for the visit of Athletic Club Bilbao to the Nou Camp on 18 March, but then will have the benefit of an international break to fully recover before Valverde's leaders take on Sevilla on Sunday 1 April in what will be a dress rehearsal for the Copa del Rey final in Madrid.

"Denis Suarez has an adductor muscle strain to his left leg and will be out of action for between 15-20 days," Barcelona confirmed. "The Galician midfielder was injured during the first half of the Catalan Super Cup game against Espanyol and was replaced by Barca B's Christian Rivera after 43 minutes.

"The Barca number 6 had been in the thick of the action in the early part of the game, enjoying a number of chances before picking up his injury."

Suarez has struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular in Catalonia since Barcelona exercised their buy-back clause to take the former Manchester City youngster back from Villarreal in 2016. This season, he has made 18 total appearances across all competitions and was an unused substitute in the initial meeting with Chelsea.

Joining Suarez on the sidelines for the second leg will be fellow injury victim Nelson Semedo and the cup-tied Philippe Coutinho. Captain Andres Iniesta also seems likely to miss out with a hamstring problem sustained in the 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid last weekend, but Gerard Pique is training normally following a knee complaint.