Suarez faces ban

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez faces a ban of up to three Copa del Rey matches after being cited in the referee's report for calling Espanyol players "a waste of space" at the end of a heated Catalan derby.

Barca won the first leg of the Copa de Rey last-16 tie between the sides 4-1 on Wednesday as Espanyol had two players sent off and were lucky to escape further punishment as goalkeeper Pau Lopez's violent stamp on Lionel Messi went unseen.

However, it is Suarez, who was also booked for a clash with Lopez, who is expected to receive a one to three-game Cup ban for sparking a brawl in the tunnel after the game that security personnel had to break up.

"Whilst all the Espanyol players climbed the stairs in the tunnel towards the dressing rooms, he (Suarez) waited for them and confronted them saying on various occasions: "Here I am waiting for you, come here; you are a waste of space," referee Juan Martinez Munuera wrote in his report.

"That provoked a clash between players from both clubs; forcing security personnel present and the managerial staff from both teams to intervene."

And Barcelona boss Luis Enrique praised the referee's more strict approach to Espanyol's roughhouse tactics in midweek, comparing the visitors' style to American football. AFP