CL: Spartak without key strikers for Benfica clash

Spartak Moscow will be without leading strikers Emmanuel Emenike and Welliton for Wednesday's Champions League Group G match at Benfica, the Russian club said on Tuesday.

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Emenike, the club's top scorer this season, aggravated a back injury in Saturday's league game in Samara.

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The Nigerian, who scored both of Spartak goals in last month's 3-2 defeat by Celtic, also missed the team's 2-1 win over Benfica two weeks ago with the same problem.

Brazilian Welliton, who topped the Russian scoring charts in 2009 and 2010, is sidelined with an unspecified problem, a Spartak spokesman said.

The Muscovites already have several key players out with injury in addition to Emenike and Welliton, including first and second-choice goalkeepers Andriy Dykan and Sergei Pesyakov.

Captain Sergei Parshivlyuk, Brazil midfielder Romulo and Ireland winger Aiden McGeady are also injured.

Spartak's third-choice keeper Artem Rebrov was in goal for the first Benfica match in Moscow.

Barcelona top the standings on nine points, ahead of Celtic (four), Spartak (three) and Benfica (one).