Mario Mandzukic to have operation on broken nose

MADRID: Atletico Madrid striker Mario Mandzukic will undergo surgery on his nose, which was broken during the La Liga champions’ 3-2 Champions League defeat by Greek side Olympiakos on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old Croatian was left with a bloody nose after clashing with Patjim Kasami after just three minutes, but completed the 90 minutes and even scored his third goal in six games since joining from Bayern Munich in July.

Mandzukic will almost certainly miss Saturday’s La Liga encounter with Celta Vigo and could be out for as long as two weeks, making him a doubt for Atletico’s now crucial second Champions League game at home to Italian side Juventus on October 1.