Mario Balotelli is set to miss AC Milan`s Champions League Group H clash at home to Barcelona on Tuesday, according to club vice-president Adriano Galliani.
|Last Updated: Oct 20, 2013, 04:17 PM IST|Source: AFP
Milan: Mario Balotelli is set to miss AC Milan`s Champions League Group H clash at home to Barcelona on Tuesday, according to club vice-president Adriano Galliani.
Milan had hoped Balotelli would return from a three-game league ban against Udinese on Saturday.
But after playing in Italy`s final World Cup qualifier against Armenia last week the 23-year-old striker was diagnosed with a thigh problem.
Balotelli was absent for Milan`s precious 1-0 win at home to Udinese and although expected to recover in time for Tuesday Galliani suggested the striker could again be sidelined when Barca visit the San Siro.
Goalkeeper Christian Abbiati, who picked up a knock hours before Saturday`s game, is also likely to be missing.
"According to our medical staff, it will be difficult for Balotelli and Abbiati to be ready in time for Tuesday," Galliani was quoted as saying by Sky Sport Italia.
It means Milan will be without arguably their strongest player against the Spanish giants. Although Balotelli failed to score in a 2-0 home win over Celtic, the Italian won and scored a late penalty to secure a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw away to Ajax.
Although Brazilian `keeper Gabriel made his Serie A debut for Milan following Abbiati`s late pull-out, he was not included in Milan`s list of Champions League players as he was sidelined with injury at the time.
It means Marco Amelia is set to step in for Abbiati on Tuesday when Barca, who on Saturday settled for a scoreless draw away to Osasuna, failing to score a league goal for the first time since January 2012, will be looking for their third group win on the trot.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.