Barça lose Motta for Benfica visit
Sunday, April 2, 2006
Article summary
FC Barcelona's defensive woes deepened as Thiago Motta was ruled out of Wednesday's visit of SL Benfica, who have concerns about Nuno Gomes.
Article body
FC Barcelona's defensive woes deepened last night as Thiago Motta sustained his fourth injury of the season in the match against Real Madrid CF, ruling him out of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League visit of SL Benfica.
Hamstring
The 23-year-old Brazilian, who sat out most of last season with a serious knee injury, was 38 minutes into his 13th Primera División appearance of the campaign when he pulled up after attempting to chase down Ronaldo. Motta immediately clutched his right hamstring and was taken off on a stretcher, with Juliano Belletti coming on.
Four weeks out?
Motta, who started Saturday's match in central defence with Rafael Márquez and Edmílson injured, received intensive treatment at Camp Nou and could now be out for another month, having only returned from a knee injury on 17 February. Barça drew their quarter-final first leg 0-0 with Benfica in Lisbon on Tuesday.
Twisted knee
Benfica have injury concerns of their own as Nuno Gomes was carried off in the 17th minute of their 2-1 victory at CF Os Belenenses in the Portuguese Liga. The 29-year-old is suspected to have suffered a twisted left knee and initial tests suggest he could be out for a fortnight. However, Benfica will wait for a full examination before ruling him out of the midweek trip to Spain.
