Manager Quique Setien ended doubts over Lionel Messi’s availability ahead of Barcelona’s first match since the season was suspended in March by confirming the superstar is fit to face Mallorca on Saturday.
“We never had any doubts about Messi’s availability for Mallorca,” Setien told Cadena COPE, as ESPN’s Sam Marsden translated. “He is fine. He had a minor issue but there have been others that have also had problems after such a long break. He stopped (training) as a precaution.
“If we risk players unnecessarily, they could end up being out for two weeks,” he added. “And that would mean they would miss four of the 11 games we have left.”
Concern over Messi’s health was triggered when he missed two training sessions after suffering a thigh injury last week in practice.
After working out by himself, he was finally able to rejoin his teammates for a full session on Monday. Messi is expected to feature prominently when the Spanish season restarts with this weekend’s round of matches.
Along with Messi, Setien will also get the luxury of selecting Luis Suarez for Barca’s clash in Mallorca. The Uruguayan striker has been sidelined since January after undergoing …read more