FIFA Ballon
d'Or holder Lionel
Messi will miss Barcelona's trip to Malaga on Sunday due to a thigh
injury, the club have confirmed. The Argentine was taken off at half-time in Barça's 1-1
draw with Atletico Madrid in the first-leg of the Spanish Super Cup on
Wednesday and won't travel with his teammates to Andalusia.
"His
progress is satisfactory, but he has been left out as a precaution," said
a statement released by the club on Saturday.
However,
manager Gerardo Martino refused to confirm that Messi's absence would mean a
first start in a Barça shirt for Neymar.
The Brazilian
came off the bench to score his first goal for the club against Atleti in
midweek, but Martino is still not convinced that he can last 90 minutes having
missed much of pre-season due his participation in the FIFA Confederations Cup
and an operation to remove his tonsils.
"Neymar is
improving all the time. The number of sessions he has done is growing and he is
getting to know the squad and the club," he told a press conference on
Saturday. "We have to take it bit by bit so that everything goes well in
the end. My intention is that when he plays he is able to show all that he can
do. Just because Leo isn't there, doesn't mean Neymar has
to take the reigns."
Martino
though stressed that his side won't have any excuses should they fail to
collect the three points against Malaga.
"To have
or not have the best player in the world with you makes it a different game.
But we have a lot of very good players to play a good match and the absence of
Messi shouldn't give us any excuse."
Just as he
did for the second-half at the Vicente Calderon in midweek, Cesc Fabregas
is expected to take Messi's place in the side. Otherwise, Martino is expected
to name the same side that started against Atletico as captain Carles
Puyol continues his recovery from a knee injury.
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