France : Ligue 1 injured & suspended list (with statistics)

Lyon have indefinitely suspended Fabio Santos following the Brazilian midfielder's altercation with coach Claude Puel during Saturday's loss to Valenciennes. Puel and Santos reportedly had to be separated by Brazilian defender Cris in the dressing room before they came to blows on Saturday, with Lyon trailing 2-0 at half time. Santos, who has a year left on his contract, has played only 22 league games since joining Lyon two years ago.

Midfielder Wendel will miss the rest of the season after injuring his right knee. The Brazilian, 27, was hurt during Bordeaux's 4-0 win over Vannes in the French League Cup final at the weekend. Tests showed he picked up a knee sprain that will sideline him between six and eight weeks. Wendel scored five goals this season in all competitions and helped Bordeaux climb to second place in Ligue 1.

Defender Loic Perrin has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a thigh injury. Saint-Etienne, second from bottom in the French league standings with eight matches remaining, will also have to cope without midfielder Dimitri Payet for several weeks. Payet has been suffering from a knee injury.

Forward Jussie will be out of action for at least four weeks with a thigh problem. Brazilian Jussie picked up the injury in last weekend's 1-0 league win over Nancy. Bordeaux are third in the Ligue 1 standings, three points adrift of leaders Lyon, whom they will entertain on April 19.

Defender Henrique will be out of action for up to eight weeks. The Brazilian injured his left knee when he ran into Bordeaux goalkeeper Ulrich Rame in last weekend's 3-0 league win at Le Havre. Henrique has made 15 Ligue 1 appearances for Bordeaux this season, scoring one goal.

Paris Saint-Germain will be without defender Sylvain Armand for four to six weeks. The 28-year-old left-back suffered a knee injury during Sunday's 4-1 loss to Toulouse. Armand has appeared in all but one of PSG's 29 league matches this campaign. He will also miss both legs of the UEFA Cup quarter-final against Dynamo Kyiv next month.

Marseille will be without right-back Laurent Bonnart for the rest of the season after he suffered a ruptured thigh tendon during Thursday's 2-1 win over Ajax. The 29-year-old joined Marseille two years ago and has contested more minutes than any other outfield player this season.

Karim Benzema is listed as questionable for Wednesday's UEFA Champions League last-16 second leg at Barcelona. The Lyon leading striker, who was still struggling with a hip injury, was replaced at halftime during Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Lille. Having already lost John Mensah to a hamstring injury, Lyon could now be without fellow central defender Jean-Alain Boumsong, who felt a twinge in his hamstring. On a brighter note, midfielder Mathieu Bodmer and defender Francois Clerc both returned to the team after lengthy injury absences.

Lyon expect to be without defender John Mensah after he suffered another injury during Lyon's 3-2 French Cup defeat by Lille. The Ghanaian international, who has recently been sidelined by thigh and calf problems, hurt his hamstring in on Wednesday. Details were not immediately available and the full extent of the damage will be known after further tests. Mensah, 26, has played eleven league games this season.

Karim Benzema will miss Wednesday's French Cup match against Lille but should be available for the UEFA Champions League clash with Barcelona next week. The 21-year-old France striker was taken from the field with a hip injury in the 75th minute of Lyon's 1-1 draw with Rennes on Sunday after a collision with defender Moussa Sow. "There is no muscular or bony lesion. It's just a big blow," said Lyon's coach Claude Puel.

Olympique de Marseille defender Vitorino Hilton will be sidelined for two weeks after tearing an abdominal muscle in Thursday's UEFA Cup win at Twente. Marseille prevailed 7-6 on penalties after they overturned a 1-0 deficit from last week's opening leg thanks to Hatem Ben Arfa's first-half free-kick. However, shortly after that goal, coach Erik Gerets was forced to make a change as Hilton departed due to injury.

Bordeaux face a goalkeeping crisis after Matthieu Valverde joined Ulrich Rame on the sidelines. Rame suffered a knock in the UEFA Cup against Galatasaray last week following a collision with Milan Baros, while his replacement Valverde finished Sunday's game at Saint-Etienne with a broken nose. Valverde is doubtful for Thursday's UEFA Cup match in Turkey, creating a possible vacancy for 20-year-old Kevin Olimpa.