Suarez to return in El Clasico
Print Edition
LUIS Suarez’s long wait is almost over. The much-maligned forward will play his first minutes today against Real Madrid after completing his ban for biting an opponent four months ago at the World Cup in Brazil.
“(Suarez) will have some minutes for sure, how many is the million-dollar question,” Barcelona manager Luis Enrique said yesterday, after having wavered on the question for most of the week in the run-up to the El Clasico.
“It’s an important occasion for him, to play against Real, and make his official incorporation with the team.”
Suarez hasn’t played an official match since biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini in June. That earned him his third multi-game suspension for sinking his teeth into an opposing player after also biting rivals while playing for former clubs Ajax Amsterdam and Liverpool.
Undeterred by his latest act of gross misconduct, Barcelona spent 97 million euros (then US$130 million) to sign the English Premier League’s top scorer from last season.
Suarez finishes his ban for his club today, just before Barcelona visits Madrid looking to extend its lead in the Spanish league. He has played a handful of friendlies for Barcelona and Uruguay in the meantime, and is still banned from playing for Uruguay in the Copa America and some World Cup qualifiers next year.
Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said he was pleased Suarez would return to the pitch, even if it will be at his Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and adding to a formidable attack already featuring Lionel Messi and Neymar. “He is a fantastic player,” the Italian said. “For football and the league it is great news he is back.”
Luis Enrique said he was not worried about a possible provocation of Suarez by Real defender Pepe, who is also known for his aggressive outbursts that included kicking Getafe’s Javier Casquero repeatedly in 2009.
Ancelotti, for his part, said defender Sergio Ramos was fit and would start alongside Pepe.
Besides Suarez’s highly anticipated debut, Messi will be seeking the one goal he needs to equal the league’s all-time leading scoring mark of 251 goals.
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