Ibrahimovic out of Barca clash

Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss Paris Saint-Germain’s UEFA Champions League meeting with Barcelona due to a heel injury.

Barca, one of Ibrahimovic’s former clubs, visit the Parc des Princes on Tuesday, but PSG will be without their talismanic striker as he continues to struggle with pain in his left heel.

The problem has kept Ibrahimovic out of PSG’s last two fixtures – a 2-0 win at Caen and a 1-1 draw at Toulouse – and head coach Laurent Blanc had previously expressed hope that the Sweden captain would be fit to face his former employers.

However, a brief statement released by PSG on Monday confirmed that Ibrahimovic would not be available after tests showed that his recovery had “not been satisfactory”.

Barca have yet to concede a goal in any competition this season, and coach Luis Enrique will no doubt be more confident of keeping that run going in light of Ibrahimovic’s absence.

For PSG, however, the news comes as a further blow, with captain Thiago Silva and Ezequiel Lavezzi (both hamstring) also ruled out.