Lionel Messi picked up a knock against Valencia which had to be treated during the match.
Barcelona have a huge Copa del Rey semi-final first against Real Madrid at Camp Nou on the horizon as they aim to keep their dreams of a third European treble alive. Los Blancos appear to have finally found form under Santiago Solari after a less than auspicious start, so this will be a completely different match from the one earlier in the season where they were humiliated 5-1 under Julen Lopetegui.
According to Sport, Lionel Messi suffered a contracture in his right thigh due to contact he suffered from Toni Lato and he was forced to have treatment on the sidelines in order to deal with this. From that point onwards he didn’t take too many risks in order to avoid aggravating it.
Mundo Deportivo have reported that he was in the gym rather than taking part in training as they assess the damage and work out whether he can play against Los Blancos, while Ousmane Dembele trained on his own as he recovers from injury.
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Messi is obviously the key player in the team so having him available would be a huge boost, but the bigger picture should be considered before any decision is made on whether he plays. The Copa del Rey is the least of their priorities and this is two legs so it isn’t all-or-nothing. However, the first leg is at the Camp Nou which has been key in the previous rounds as they have overcome deficits by using their formidable home form. Messi didn’t feature in either of the away legs, though.
In the 5-1 win earlier in the season, Barca were without Messi due to injury, so Ernesto Valverde started Rafinha, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho as the front three. Suarez put in an inspired performance as he scored a hat-trick and tormented Real Madrid’s back line. Dembele could be back for this match, which leaves Valverde with the option of playing the French winger, Coutinho and Suarez as the front three. Therefore, there are plenty of attacking options to choose from.
A bad result in this leg isn’t the end of the world either as they can bring Messi back in for the second leg. Recent displays at the Santiago Bernabeu have shown that the Argentinian genius enjoys playing there. The Champions League and the league must remain the priorities with Messi being the key element to winning both of those.