Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 8y

Juventus' Stephan Lichtsteiner out a month after minor heart surgery

Juventus full-back Stephan Lichtsteiner has been ruled out for a month after undergoing minor surgery on his heart.

The Swiss defender was withdrawn at half-time of Juve's recent 1-1 draw with Frosinone after complaining of breathing difficulties.

He returned to training on Monday but club doctors were concerned about his health and ordered further tests, making him miss Wednesday night's 2-0 win over Sevilla in the Champions League. Those tests revealed an atrial flutter, which was resolved with a surgical intervention on Friday.

"During last week's match with Frosinone, Stephan Lichtsteiner suffered breathing difficulties due to a benign cardiac arrhythmia (atrial flutter) which later stopped of its own accord," read a statement on the Serie A club's website.

"Tests and specialist consultancy conducted over the following days suggested surgery to be the best course of action for the defender. Dr. Gaita today performed a cardiac ablation operation and Lichtsteiner is expected to return to competitive action within 30 days."

Without Lichtsteiner, Andrea Barzagli impressed as an emergency right-back in the midweek win, providing the assist for Alvaro Morata's opening goal. He was named by UEFA on their Champions League team of the week.

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