Barcelona Rules Suarez, Arthur Out vs. PSV, Welcomes Back Coutinho, Rakitic
Barcelona have confirmed that Luis Suarez, Jasper Cillessen and Arthur will sit out their Champions League clash with PSV on Wednesday, while midfield duo Philippe Coutinho and Ivan Rakitic are back in contention.
Suarez is set for a two-week absence after surgery to his knee, while Cillessen will miss the next two to three weeks after tests confirmed a muscle tear in his right leg.
A statement on the Barca website also confirmed that Arthur will miss the PSV game with an abductor strain, but Coutinho, who has been missing for three weeks with injury, and the formerly suspended Ivan Rakitic, return in a welcome boost to their midfield options.
Sergi Samper, Thomas Vermaelen, Sergi Roberto and Rafinha remain on the sidelines, with the latter requiring unspecified surgery before any return is on the cards.
The clash is an important one for Barcelona, as while it would be a surprise to see them drop out of the top two of the group they currently lead, anything other than a defeat in Eindhoven would see them book a last 16 spot with a game to spare.
They'll have to do it without Suarez, however, who has scored nine goals in 13 La Liga appearances, but is yet to score in the Champions League despite having played 90 minutes in all four of their matches so far.
Arhur, meanwhile, has appeared in all but four of their matches in all competitions, while first team football has been harder to come by for Cillessen, who has continued to play firmly second fiddle to Marc-Andre ter Stegen so far this season.
