© EuroFootball.com
The leader of the Spanish championship "Barcelona" captain Carles Puyol needs to undergo knee surgery, which will keep the 34-year-old defender out of games for up to three weeks.
Before Tuesday's UEFA Champions League return match against AC Milan, there were rumors that Puyol would not play in the starting lineup due to knee pain. A few days later, Catalonia's TV3 reported that the defender would need arthroscopic knee surgery.
Medical experts predict that the Barcelona captain will not be able to step onto the field for three to four weeks. The newspaper AS fears that Puyol may not return to the field this season.
It is already clear that Puyol will miss both Barcelona's matches against Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League quarterfinals, which will be played on April 2nd and 10th.
The loss of Barcelona's captain means that the team now has two center-backs who can compete for a starting spot - Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano. However, recently doctors have given the green light for 22-year-old Marc Bartra to return to the field after recovering from a knee injury, and left-back Eric Abidal has been preparing for his return to the field for some time.
