England star Lucy Bronze will miss Barcelona's Champions League semi-final clash with Chelsea after undergoing surgery on her knee.
The Lionesses right-back limped off during the Catlans' 1-0 victory in the first leg of the tie at Stamford Bridge last weekend, having gone down off the ball in the 66th minute. And Barcelona have now confirmed Bronze has had keyhole surgery to rectify the issue and won't feature in Thursday's second leg at Camp Nou.
Speaking about the 31-year-old's injury in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Barcelona manager Jonatan Giraldez said: "All good with her knee. She has a strain, an ailment. It needs a tiny intervention and it just needs a couple of weeks."
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While Bronze isn't likely to be sidelined for the long term, her absence is a huge blow for the Liga F leaders, who are bidding to make it to a fourth Champions League Final in just five seasons. It is also a massive worry for England, who already look set to be without a number of key players at this summer's Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Along with captain Leah Williamson, who ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in Arsenal's Women's Super League clash with Manchester United last week, Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman will be missing winger Beth Mead, who was the EURO 2022 top scorer, who also has an ACL injury.
There are doubts over Fran Kirby's availability, with the Chelsea midfielder having been out of action since February. And Chelsea defender Millie Bright has been ruled out for several more weeks following the knee injury she sustained in March.
For Chelsea, however, Bronze's absence could offer a boost as they look to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit in Catalonia. Barcelona, though, could get an injury boost of their own, with talisman Alexia Putellas likely to make her long-awaited return from injury at the Camp Nou.
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