What is the latest injury news coming out after UCL Group stage matchday 6?
Matchday 6 was the final game of the UCL group stages. With 32 teams featuring in 16 games, there will be goals, assists, and injuries. Did anyone say injuries? Yeah, we got you covered. Here are all the injury updates coming out from UCL matchday 6.
Marseille vs Tottenham Hotspur
Eric Bailly
The on-loan Ivorian defender from Manchester United just returned from a hamstring injury to feature against Tottenham. However, his return was cut short as he went down in the eighth minute in what looks to be another hamstring injury for the Frenchman.
Heung-Min Son
Heung-Min Son went down in the first half with an apparent head injury. The initial impression was that of a concussion/facial injury. Later on, a photo of Son emerged in the dressing room with a swollen left eye which furthered our concerns about a facial fracture. After further examination, Spurs disclosed in an official statement the Son will undergo surgery to stabilize a fracture around his left eye. There were unconfirmed reports of suspected zygomatic bone fracture (image below).
The latest update coming out from the Telegraph reports Son Heung-Min suffered four fractures to his eye socket. His surgery has been brought forward and should be done by the time this article is released. There has been no timeframe provided and rightly so. It’s very hard to give a timeline on these kinds of injuries as the player could still play wearing a protective mask. As of now, Son’s World Cup status remains up in the air but there will be attempts to get him ready for the WC.
Barcelona vs Viktoria Plzen
Frank Kessie
Barcelona can’t seem to catch a break with all these injuries. The latest name to join the sidelines is Frank Kessie. The Ivorian midfielder had to be substituted in the second half after pulling his left hamstring.
Barcelona has now officially confirmed that Frank Kessie has a biceps femoris strain in his left thigh. They have not provided any timeline whatsoever but multiple news outlets report that he could be out for around six weeks, pointing towards a grade 2 hamstring strain.
Chelsea vs Dinamo Zagreb
Denis Zakaria
Denis Zakaria finally got his chance at Chelsea and made sure to capitalize on the opportunity. The Swiss International was substituted in the second half which raised concerns among Chelsea fans. Finally, we have news from the man, Denis Zakaria, himself on the situation.
Chelsea manager Graham Potter stated in his post-match conference that Zakaria had a contact injury which isn’t thought to be serious. Later, Denis Zakaria revealed in his interview that it’s just “cramps” and nothing serious. The impression is that he should be available for the game against Arsenal on Sunday.
Ben Chilwell
Talking about adding insult to injury. The Blues already have a handful of players out with injuries and the last thing they wanted was Ben Chilwell (who just returned from a long-term ACL injury) to join the sidelines. Chilwell felt his hamstring in the final minutes of the game. The first negative flag is he was unable to bear weight on his right leg and needed to be carried off the field. However, our concerns were confirmed by the Telegraph when they mentioned the following:
Ben Chilwell was holding his upper hamstring which is a concern for tendon involvement. Hearing a ‘pop’ sound makes us suspect a proximal hamstring tendon injury. The latest update coming out is that he could be out for up to 3 months which sounds like a higher-grade tear for the Chelsea full-back. The positive news is that he won’t be undergoing surgery.
“Distraught team-mates are worried that Chilwell has torn his hamstring after he complained of hearing it ‘popping’, which could rule him out for up to three months.”
– Matt Law via the Telegraph
Liverpool vs Napoli
James Milner
James Milner was subbed off early in the first half after trying to reach for the ball. However, he was pointing to his head after suffering a head clash in the first half. The concern is that Milner suffered a concussion. James Milner will be allowed to return to play once he has cleared the concussion protocol.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs RB Leipzig
Timo Werner
Timo Werner suffered a left ankle injury in the first half against Shakhtar. From the video footage, his ankle was forced in an external rotation which is a concern for a high ankle sprain. The latest update on Werner confirms our suspicion of a high ankle sprain as scans have revealed torn left syndesmosis ligament. The treatment decision whether conservative/surgery is yet to be decided. The former Chelsea striker will be out of action for the rest of 2022.
Juventus vs PSG
Fabian Ruiz
Fabian Ruiz was substituted in the second half with what seems to be a muscle injury. The Spaniard is set to miss PSG’s remaining two games before the World Cup. There have been conflicting reports on the involved muscle with some reports citing the left adductor whereas other mentioning a hamstring injury. Nevertheless, he is expected to return to training at the end of next week.
Man City vs Sevilla
Marcao
Marcao had to be taken off in the final moments of the first half after pulling his right hamstring. Sevilla has officially confirmed that Marcao has suffered a torn right biceps femoris muscle. There has been no definite timeline provided but it is stated that he’ll be out of action until after the World Cup.
Final thoughts
As of now, we only cover injuries from the top 5 football leagues as of now. We apologize to the Porto, Brugge, Ajax, Rangers, Plzen, Sporting, Celtic, Shakhtar, Salzburg, Benfica, Maccabi Haifa, Copenhagen, and Zagreb fans. We are hopeful of covering injuries for your clubs soon. Also, we will be covering any new updates that emerge regarding the above players within this article.
If you liked the article, why don’t you read our piece on Kalvin Phillips’ shoulder injury or the latest on Liverpool injuries? Thank you!
