Luis Suarez golazo delivers Champions League win for Barcelona

“He gets mad when you can not play“.

Barcelona then sent their fans wild and broke the travelling contingent’s hearts just two minutes later through Luis Suarez, Munir once again involved as he cut inside two challenges before laying the ball back to the Uruguayan, who rifled a controlled effort into the top corner to seal the win. “We may not have been at our best but the players always gave everything”.

Though Luis Enrique insists that they will stick to their style in the wake of an injury to Lionel Messi, Tuesday’s hosts will have to work harder than they usually do when Messi is on the pitch.

Currently, Luis Enrique’s men sit second in La Liga one point behind leaders Villarreal.

Without Messi, Enrique may abandon his favoured three-pronged attacking formation and instead opt for the security of an extra midfielder, or include Munir El Haddadi to support Suarez and Neymar up front.

The Argentina forward was taken to a nearby hospital for tests and returned before the match ended with a Luis Suarez brace helping the Catalans overcome Las Palmas 2-1. We were not able to play our best football but we had to win this match and show that we are the champions.

Thomas Vermaelen and Jordi Alba are doubts for the match, while Messi, Claudio Bravo and Rafinha will all remain on the sidelines through injury. Earlier this month, Barcelona – with Messi – drew Roma, 1-1.

Iniesta asked to be substituted in the 60th after he had clutched his right thigh and tumbled to the turf.

“I don’t know if Leo’s absence will be a boost for Leverkusen, but for us it is a key game against one of the strongest opponents in the group”.

Barca had crushed the Germans 10-2 on aggregate when they last met in the round of 16 in the Champions League in 2012, with Messi becoming the first player to score five in a Champions League match in the 7-1 first leg.

The Serie A club hit back after the break and reduced the deficit with strikes from Gervinho, after 66 minutes, and Vasilis Torisidis eight minutes from time.

And much more will be needed of Suarez and Neymar in the coming weeks as Barca’s stretched and injury-ridden squad faces up to eight games without Messi. Defender Maxim Zhavnerchik and striker Vitaly Rodionov are also injured and unlikely to play against Roma.

Arsenal heads into its home clash with Greek champion Olympiakos buoyed by a superb 5-2 victory at Leicester City in the Premier League Saturday but with little margin for error in Group F after its shock 2-1 reverse in Zagreb two weeks ago.

Gervinho and Vassilis Torosidis pulled goals back in the second half, but BATE held on for a famous win.

Sandro, though, is unlikely to have been at the forefront of Enrique’s mind when he said what he said about other players stepping up.

Gladbach’s revival: Borussia Moenchengladbach’s renaissance is a timely one. Arguably, Leverkusen could’ve had the lead and points out of this match had Javier Hernandez been anywhere near in form.