Barcelona Facing Selection Crisis For Arsenal Encounter

Barcelona will be without key striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic for Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg-tie against Arsenal due to injury. Ibrahimovic was forced to sit out Barcelona’s 4-1 home win over Athletic Bilbao in a Spanish league game after hurting his calf in the warm-up. The Swede, who joined Barca in the summer, will have a scan on Sunday.

Yaya Toure and Jeffren Suarez also ended the game with knocks and face a race to be fit in time for Tuesday’s match. Barcelona are already without Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique for the game against Arsenal, with both central defenders suspended, and midfielder Andres Iniesta remains a doubt.

“We are short of players for Tuesday and we need support at the Nou Camp, the crowd can push us on – it’s a real final,” said Guardiola. “If we advance, we will have the chance to be league and European champions at the end of this season, so it’s our most important game of the whole year.