BARCELONA (Reuters) - Barcelona captain Luis Enrique will not play again before the New Year because of an Achilles tendon injury.
The 32-year-old forward originally suffered the injury in a 2-1 defeat to Valladolid on October 20.
He started the 6-1 victory over Alaves the following week, scoring one goal, but was taken off at halftime and has not played since.
He will miss the side's first two Group A matches in the second phase of the Champions League, away to Bayer Leverkusen on
Wednesday and at home to Newcastle United on December 10, as well as the next four Spanish league fixtures.
The decision not to rush his return is to avoid the risk of a rupture of the tendon, the club said.
He should be completely recovered by the time Barca resume their Champions League campaign in February with a game away to
Inter Milan.
Luis Enrique, who announced his retirement from international football after the World Cup, started the season with a bang, scoring
five goals in Barca's opening seven league games.
In his absence, the club have taken just five points from four league games, slipping to 10th place in the table.
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