Luis Suarez to miss World Cup qualifier with COVID-19

Atletico Madrid and Uruguay forward Luis Suarez has tested positive for COVID-19, the Uruguay national team said in a statement on Monday.

Uruguay's statement said top scorer Suarez and stand-in goalkeeper Rodrigo Munoz plus a staff member had tested positive. Other members of the squad had all tested negative ahead of Tuesday's World Cup qualifier at home to Brazil.

The statement added that all three are "in good health," and said the team had followed protocol and taken the appropriate measures following the results.

Uruguay's Luis Suarez (R) celebrates with teammate Darwin Nunez after scoring a penalty against Colombia during their closed-door 2022 FIFA World Cup South American qualifier in Colombia, November 13, 2020. /VCG

They join defender Matias Vina, who tested positive on Saturday after Uruguay's 3-0 win over Colombia in Barranquilla.

Uruguay, who have not beaten Brazil since 2001, have six points in the round-robin South American qualifying group for the 2022 finals in Qatar.
Brazil lead the group with nine points from three games, Argentina are on seven, and Ecuador on six.

Suarez, who scored a penalty in Uruguay's 3-0 win over Colombia on Friday, is now ruled out of the match with Brazil.

He will almost certainly also miss his club's La Liga match against his former club Barcelona on November 21.

The Uruguayan is Atletico's joint-top scorer this season alongside Joao Felix, grabbing five goals since switching from Barca on a free transfer in September.

Suarez is the latest high-profile player to test positive for the virus during an international break, after Liverpool's Mohamed Salah was infected while on duty with Egypt.

Last month, Cristiano Ronaldo tested positive while representing Portugal and was forced to miss several games for Juventus.

The game between Arsenal and Aston Villa during the Premier League at Emirates Stadium in London, November 8, 2020. /VCG

Meanwhile, in the Premier League, the latest testing found that a record of 16 positive cases in a single round since the new season began in September.

The league said the individuals who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus would now self-isolate for 10 days without specifying clubs or individuals.

The competition will resume on November 21 despite increasing of positive tests after the current international break.

(With input from agencies)