Fears were looming large over Lionel Messi’s presence in the game against Mallorca after he sustained an adductor injury and underwent an MRI scan last week.
Lionel Messi file image. (Photo by LLUIS GENE / AFP)
la Liga table-toppers Barcelona are all set to resume their 2019-20 season after a gap of more than three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic with an away match against relegation-threatened Mallorca on Saturday. Ahead of the encounter, Barca coach Quique Setien has dropped a positive message about Lionel Messi.
Fears were looming large over Messi’s presence in the game against Mallorca after he sustained an adductor injury and underwent an MRI scan last week. The Catalan giants, though, allayed the fears after it was thought to be a long-term injury.
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Messi returned to training soon after and Setien has said that the veteran Argentine forward “is ready to play” and “perfectly okay”.
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“He is ready to play, he is perfectly okay. He is trained well, there is no problem. Messi and a lot of these players know how to gauge things and how to save their strength when necessary,” Goal.com quoted Setien as saying in the pre-match media conference.
“As for breaks, we will see. For some, the more time they are on the pitch, the better,” the coach added.
On the other hand, the enforced lay-off due to the coronavirus allowed Luis Suarez to recover from the knee operation he had in January, while Antoine Griezmann commented earlier in the week that the break had granted him the physical and mental rest he hadn’t been able to enjoy.
However, the problems for Setien would be the absence of central defender Clement Lenglet due to suspension which is carried over from Barca’s last game before the lay-off. Samuel Umtiti, who is likely to guard the position in Lenglet’s absence, is also in doubt.
La Liga has remained suspended since March due to the crisis caused by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. But with the number of fresh cases decreasing massively, Spain’s top-flight football competition retured on June 11 with the Sevilla derby between Real Betis and Sevilla.
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