Rakitić counted out of Schalke-Barça

FC Schalke 04 will be without midfielder Ivan Rakitić for their UEFA Champions League quarter-final against FC Barcelona after the Croatian international suffered an ankle injury in training.

One-month absence
The 20-year-old has damaged ligaments in his left ankle and is expected to be sidelined for at least four weeks, ruling him out of Croatia's friendly against Scotland on 26 March. He will sit out both legs of Schalke's tie against Barcelona, with the first game at the Arena Auf Schalke on 1 April and the return in Spain eight days later. Rakitić, who has won six caps for his country, has played in all 24 of Schalke's Bundesliga matches this season and has featured seven times intheir UEFA Champions League campaign. He arrived in Gelsenkirchen from FC Basel 1893 last summer.