Iniesta: Barcelona could be without captain Andres Iniesta for the rest of the year after the midfielder sustained a knee injury in an eventful 3-2 La Liga win for the leaders at Valencia yesterday.  The Spain international was carried off on a stretcher crying in pain following a late tackle from behind by Valencia’s Enzo Perez who escaped a yellow card. Barca said that Iniesta injured the lateral collateral ligaments in his right knee and would undergo further tests.

Petrovic: Ljupko Petrovic, who coached Red Star Belgrade to European Cup final glory in 1991, quit unbeaten Bulgarian leaders Levski Sofia an hour before their match against Beroe Stara Zagora yesterday. The 69-year-old Serb, who returned for a second stint as Levski coach in May, criticised the board for creating a negative atmosphere in the dressing room. “I would like to leave because working under too much stress, in a bad atmosphere, I’m risking my health,” Petrovic said in a statement.

Wilson: Derby’s on-loan Manchester United striker James Wilson is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining cruciate ligament damage. The 20-year-old was injured in training with the Rams on Monday and returned to United to undergo tests. Those have confirmed the severity of the damage and Wilson is set to undergo knee surgery in the coming days.

Silva: Juventus have suggested they may look to snap up Thiago Silva on a free transfer. The 32-year-old Paris Saint-Germain defender’s contract expires at the end of the season and Juventus CEO Giuseppe Marotta has openly discussed a potential move. Marotta told Rai: “’Thiago Silva is an exceptional player and I don’t know what PSG’s intentions are for the future. It could be an opportunity like we had in the past to go for Pirlo.”