Marseille dealt Valbuena blow
Monday, July 21, 2008
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Olympique de Marseille midfielder Mathieu Valbuena will be absent from the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round after undergoing surgery on his groin.
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Olympique de Marseille midfielder Mathieu Valbuena will miss the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round after undergoing surgery on a groin injury.
Winning strike
L'OM finished third in Ligue 1 last season to earn their place in the final qualifying round of Europe's premier club competition, scheduled for 12 and 27 August, but they will start their campaign without the player who scored their sensational winning goal at Liverpool FC in the group stage last season.
Gerets agreement
A statement from the club regarding the 23-year-old said: "Mathieu had surgery on Monday at 10.00 in Bordeaux. The decision was made to proceed with surgery over the weekend in full agreement with club directors and coach Erik Gerets. How long he will be unavailable for is not easy to judge but it should not be more that six weeks."