Villarreal have confirmed star striker Gerard Moreno has suffered a hamstring injury, putting his availability for their Champions League semi-final clash against Liverpool in serious doubt.
The Reds face the La Liga outfit at Anfield on Wednesday, April 27 before the return leg at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Tuesday, May 3. A place in the final is up for grabs against either Manchester City or Real Madrid.
Moreno is a vital player for Villarreal boss Unai Emery and was part of the team that beat Bayern Munich 2-1 on aggregate to progress to the semi-final stage. He also scored a penalty in the 3-0 win away to Juventus in the second leg of their round-of 16-tie.
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This season, the 30-year-old forward has scored 13 goals in 26 appearances in all competitions with six assists to his name.
Moreno was forced off with a hamstring problem in Villarreal's 2-1 victory at Getafe in La Liga on Saturday. He scored their opening goal on seven minutes before he later made way for Giovani Lo Celso on the hour mark.
The club has now confirmed he's suffered a 'strain' on the hamstring and while neither serious nor a relapse of a previous muscle injury, no time frame has been put on the Spain international's return. But it's clear Moreno now faces a race against time to be fit to face Liverpool at Anfield next Wednesday.
