Benfica midfielder Javi Garcia is set to miss the club’s UEFA Champions League match with Zenit St. Petersburg after suffering an injury in training.
The talented Spaniard has been one of the Reds’ star performers this season. Playing as a holding a midfielder alongside Axel Witsel, he has been able to dominate games and ensure that his side retain the majority of the ball possession.
Garcia joined Estadio da Luz after leaving Real Madrid and has cemented his place as an automatic starter with a string of impressive displays. The 25-year-old’s vast array of passing abilities and an accurate reading of the game enables him to influence proceedings without making the headlines but his talents have not gone unnoticed in the rest of the continent.
Manchester United, Arsenal and Juventus are reportedly keeping tabs on his progress, although a transfer did materialize during the winter, it is expected that the defensive midfielder will depart Lisbon for greener pastures in the upcoming months.
Meanwhile, Benfica have been on a roll and find themselves in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. They take on Russian giants Zenit St. Petersburg on the 15th of February but are going to be without the services of Garcia, who set to miss crucial encounter after suffering an injury.
Eagles boss Jorge Jesus commented on the situation and revealed that the former Osasuna man will not travel to Russia as he was out with injury.
"Javi suffered an injury yesterday (Friday. I am sure he will not go to St Petersburg."
Garcia also sat out the weekend game with Nacional and his replacement Nemanja Matic impressed the coach, which means that he is likely to start at the Luzhniki Stadium.
"Matic had a great game, even though Javi is much more used to the team's movements than he is," Jorge Jesus was quoted as saying.
Benfica face a tough task against the Meshki especially due to the cruel Russian winter and their woes have increased with the exclusion of their influential midfielder, who is responsible for dictating play and ensuring that the ball is given to attacking players such as Pablo Aimar and Nicolas Gaitan at the right time.