Doha: Barcelona’s awesome threesome of Messi, Suarez and Neymar — or simply ‘MSN’- will be present for their friendly against Al Ahli Saudi FC at the Gharafa Stadium on Tuesday, confirmed organisers on the eve of the encounter here.
FC Barcelona were scheduled to arrive in Doha only late on Monday evening. There were speculation surrounding the availability of the all three superstars despite manager Luis Enrique selecting his best 21 players for the trip to Qatar.
With Cristiano Ronaldo looking poised to seal his fourth Fifa Player of the Year trophy on Monday, Messi was seen boarding the flight to Doha in the video posted on the team’s official website.
However, it was still not clear if Neymar, who is suffering from muscle fatigue but no serious injury after 1-1 draw with arch rivals Real Madrid, will take the field. The Brazil star was substituted just before Sergio Ramos’ dramatic late equaliser in El Clasico and had complained of pain in his right leg.
Apart from the 21 first team players, two players joining in from Barça B are Carles Alena and Borja Lopez. Jeremy Mathieu is the only first teamer who will not travel due to injury. Before heading for Doha, the team had a training session at the Ciutat Esportiva.
It is also learnt that the former Blaugrana midfielder Xavi, currently playing for Al Sadd in Qatar, will be meeting up with his old pals at the team hotel.
“The enormity of this match is a testament to Qatar’s growing standing as the home of international football in the GCC, where the world’s greatest players are converging to bring world-class competitions to the region. It is also a significant marker in our journey towards 2022 when we will proudly host the Fifa World Cup,” said Vice-President of the organising Committee, Hassan Al Thawadi after unveiling the Qatar Airways Cup trophy.
For the record though, this won’t be the first outing for the Catalan club against an Arab outfit. This will be their seventh match. In their previous six contests, they have a record of five victories and one draw from five friendlies and one official fixture against Qatar’s Al Sadd in the 2011 Club World Cup which they won 4-0.
Barcelona Squad: TER Stegen, Cillessen, Masip, Pique, Rakitic, Busquets, Denis Suarez, Arda, Iniesta, Luis Suarez, Messi, Neymar Jr, Rafinha, Mascherano, Paco Alcacer, Jordi Alba, Digne, Sergi Roberto, Andre Gomes, Aleix Vidal, Umtiti, Alena and Borja Lopez.
