Cardozo to miss Barcelona clash, confirms Jorge Jesus

29-Sep-2012 4:15:00 PM

The Benfica manager has admitted his star forward will not recover in time to feature against the Blaugrana, with a muscle injury keeping the Paraguayan sidelined

Benfica manager Jorge Jesus has conceded there is "no chance" of Oscar Cardozo featuring in his side's upcoming clash with Barcelona, and believes they will need to change their game to cope with the European heavyweights on Tuesday.

The towering forward featured as a substitute in the Encarnados' Champions League opener, a goalless draw away to Celtic, but his coach has dismissed any possibiities of the Paraguayan playing against the Catalan giants.

"I think Cardozo has no chance to recover for the match against Barcelona," the 58-year old revealed.

"We'll have to run a lot. Barcelona will wear us down with their ball movement."

Jesus will likely turn to Rodrigo Lima to supply the goals when his side take on the Club World Cup holders, with the Brazilian having bagged a decisive double in his side's recent 2-1 victory over Pacos Ferriera.

Tuesday's clash is scheduled to kick off at 19:45 CET.