Controversial Uruguayan striker Luis
Suarez will probably play his first game
for Barcelona in a friendly on Monday,
coach Luis Enrique said on Sunday,
despite the player's competitive ban
for biting a World Cup opponent.
Suarez, who is banned from competitive matches
until October 25 for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini,
trained with Barcelona on Sunday ahead of Monday's
Joan Gamper Trophy, the traditional curtain-raiser to
Barca's season, against Mexican side Leon.
"I would like him to be able to play for a few
minutes tomorrow," Enrique told a news conference
after Sunday's training.
"Not many, because he has not played for some
time, but he has worked very well when training on
his own."
Barcelona bought Suarez for a reported €95 million
from Liverpool last month.
On Thursday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport
relaxed his ban, allowing him to train and play in
unofficial matches, but upheld his four-month
exclusion from competitive games and his nine-
match international suspension.
Suarez will be available to play in competitive
matches from Saturday, October 25, meaning his
official debut could come in the first Clasico of the
Spanish league campaign against Real Madrid.
Enrique, a former Barcelona player who replaced
Gerard Martino after he stepped down at the end of
last season following a trophyless campaign, insisted
on Sunday Suarez's absence at the start of the season
"does not harm us at all".
"The squad is solid and strong enough to face the
first matches of the league."
Suarez bit Chiellini on June 24 in a 1-0 win over Italy.
It was the third time in his career he had been found
guilty of biting an opponent.
After his first training session with Barcelona on
Friday, Suarez told the club website: "I'm paying for a
mistake I made and one I have apologised for, but I
have to forget about all this."
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