Barcelona: Lionel Messi is expected back for Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Roma and for Barcelona his return cannot come soon enough.
Messi’s latest rescue-act on Saturday, when he came off the bench to inspire a remarkable fightback against Sevilla, has regurgitated the question of Barca’s dependency on their number 10.
It is difficult to quantify Messi’s brilliance. He would be missed by any team in the world, not least Argentina, who were thrashed 6-1 by Spain last week with the injured forward watching on from the stands.
But for Ernesto Valverde, there is an urgency to the issue because if Messi is not at his blistering best, perhaps feels his hamstring ache, or is somehow contained by Roma’s defence, his side must find another way through.
“We think he will be fine for Wednesday but we will see how he feels,” said Valverde.
“Of course, he’s an important player. He makes a difference every time he touches the ball.”
Fello Barca striker Luis Suarez added: “It’s to Messi’s credit that he keeps on demonstrating (his class). But the work of the whole team, to keep going and not give up, is what stays with me.”
Roma forward Stephan El Shaarawy said: “We’re up against the very best in Messi. Every time he gets on the ball, he can make something happen. That’s why we’ll have to try to act accordingly and restrict his influence as much as possible.”
Messi has been left out of the starting line-up for five La Liga and Champions League games this year. Barca have won two and drawn three of them, the last, against Sevilla, about to be a defeat before he scored an 89th-minute equaliser.
In the Copa del Rey, Messi was rested for the last 16 first leg against Celta Vigo, a 1-1 draw, then played in the second, hitting two goals in a 5-0 win.
“No we are not worried about it,” Valverde said, when asked on Saturday about a possible over-reliance.
“With or without Messi all the matches are different, it’s just how it is. What can we do?”
That Messi has a transformative effect is nothing new, but perhaps this Barcelona side is more reliant on their star striker than previous ones.
Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets is also back in training, after a leg injury kept him sidelined for around three weeks, and is likely to play against Roma.
Busquets, 29, sustained a fractured phalanx of the fifth toe of his right foot during the Champions League round of 16 second leg game against Chelsea last month, which prevented him from participating in any of his club’s or the Argentinian national team’s games.
“In good news, midfielder Sergio Busquets trained as part of the group, alongside his first team teammates and Barca B players,” the club announced.
Radja Nainggolan and Lorenzo Pellegrini have passed fitness tests to travel to Barcelona for Roma but Cengiz Under will stay in Italy.
Belgian midfielder Nainggolan hurt his pulled a right thigh muscle in Saturday’s 1-1 Serie A draw against Bologna while Italy midfielder Pellegrini took a knock to his calf while on international duty.
Coach Eusebio Di Francesco included the pair among the 21-man squad to travel to Spain after putting the players through their paces.
Under is carrying a left thigh injury picked up on international duty with Turkey and was not deemed fit enough and will remain in the Italian capital.
— AFP
