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Suarez suffers calf injury in Barca's season opener

Juan Manuel Serrano Arce / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Luis Suarez left Barcelona's opening La Liga match against Athletic Bilbao on Friday with an apparent calf injury.

Rafinha replaced the Uruguayan international in the 37th minute, and Antoine Griezmann, the club's marquee summer signing, took his teammate's place up front. Minutes before the substitution, Suarez rattled the post with an uncontested shot from close range.

Barca confirmed on Saturday that the 32-year-old sustained a right calf injury, but did not provide a timeline for his return.

Only one match into the campaign, manager Ernesto Valverde is already facing a minor injury crisis; he was forced to leave Lionel Messi out of his matchday squad against Athletic because of a similar calf issue. The Argentine suffered the injury in training last week.

Prior to kickoff, the Blaugrana agreed to send Philippe Coutinho to Bayern Munich on an initial loan deal, further reducing their options in attack.

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