Lionel Messi did not take part in training on Monday following an injury.
The front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Philippe Coutinho were forced to stay on the pitch for the whole game when they were not able to find the goal which would have helped them to gain three points against Valencia in a 2-2 draw. Initially, it was the away side who were flying high with a two-goal lead, but it was cut short by Lionel Messi’s double which helped them with a point to be rescued.
However, Barcelona could be dealt with a huge blow as their record top scorer Lionel Messi could be out for the game against their arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey Semi-finals on Wednesday. The Argentine was holding his thigh during the first half against Marcelinho’s side, but he carried on until the end with a niggling problem after receiving a massage in the sidelines.
After the draw, Ernesto Valverde said that he does not know about the injury, but confirmed that the injury does not look bad.
“I don’t exactly what it is. It could be a small discomfort. We’ll wait to see what the doctors say, then evaluate things based on that. I imagine that he can’t be too bad, but I’m not able to reveal anything.”
There were several reports quoting about the injury he suffered on Saturday, but the media has reported that the Argentine was no part of the training at Barcelona today. He was not even part of the squad which has been doing light training which is a genuine concern the Blaugrana. Barcelona have not produced any news about Lionel Messi’s injury.
On the other hand, the Spanish publication AS reported that the front line of Barcelona were really tired after the game and to add another headache, Messi was not seen at Barcelona’s training centre on Monday. It is understood that the rest of the players were part of the training setup.
It will be genuinely concerning for the Barcelona fans who do not want Messi to miss the second El Classico for the season having already been forced to sit out on the sidelines during the 5-1 rout at Nou Camp.
Lionel Messi has scored 29 goals and set up another 17 for his teammates from just 26 games this term. Barcelona were able to manage without him last October when they faced Real Madrid, but they will be praying for his fitness as the Los Blancos have found their feet lately by producing consistent results.
Lionel Messi’s injury is a concern, but Ernesto Valverde received a huge boost as Ousmane Dembele has been deemed fit to face Santiago Solari’s Real Madrid at Nou Camp on February 6th. The second leg will be played on February 27th.
