Manchester United’s opponents in the Champions League have been dealt a blow by UEFA.
Atletico Madrid will now be without winger Yannick Carrasco, report Marca.
Carrasco, 28, has been hit with a three-match competition suspension from UEFA, which means he will miss both Champions League last 16 ties against Manchester United.
The winger was shown a red card in the final group game against Porto for appearing to raise his hands to the neck of an opponent.
His initial one-match ban has now been raised to three after UEFA ruled it to be a serious incident.
While possible Atletico could appeal to UEFA, they have not yet done so, and the best case scenario is probably that his three-game ban would be reduced to two, still impacting both games against Manchester United.
Less than a month away
The first leg of the Champions League last 16 will be held on February 23 in Spain. The second leg at Old Trafford will be on March 15, with three league games in between.
Carrasco has been a regular in Diego Simeone’s side this season, with the Belgian winger starting 18 of 21 La Liga games, and all six of their Champions League group games.
His form has hardly been spectacular though, with just two goals and five assists to his name so far this season. One of these assists came in their recent 3-2 win against Valencia.
Atletico’s most likely replacement for Carrasco is Argentine winger Angel Correa, while Luis Suarez and Joao Felix will lead the line.
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