Sandro Tonali sustains injury during Newcastle defeat prior to Italy playoff.

BARCELONA, Spain — Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali left the match against Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday due to injury, just eight days prior to Italy’s World Cup qualifying playoff for a place in this summer’s tournament.

Tonali seemed to sustain an injury to his left thigh while attempting to defend Fermín López, resulting in a corner kick.

At that moment, the score was 4-2 early in the second half, and Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski scored a header from the corner, effectively securing the Spanish champions’ advancement to the quarterfinals.

Barcelona quickly extended their lead to 6-2 at Camp Nou after the teams had drawn 1-1 in Newcastle the previous week.

Tonali has been anticipated as a starter for Italy as the four-time champions seek to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2014.

Italy will host Northern Ireland on March 26 at Atalanta’s stadium in Bergamo, with the winner set to face either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina five days later.

The playoff bracket winner will join a World Cup group alongside co-host Canada, Switzerland, and Qatar.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.