Barcelona are sweating on the fitness of Lionel Messi after he picked up another injury in the victory over Villarreal. Barca picked up a crucial three points with a 2-1 victory over the Yellow Submarine on Tuesday night, but the win could have come at a cost as Messi was forced out of the action with a thigh issue.
The Argentina international has only just recovered from the calf injury that forced him to miss the start of the season, and was making his first appearance for the Catalan outfit.
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He impressed in the first half when setting up Antoine Griezmann, who headed home from a corner for the first goal, before Arthur made it 2-0 to the home side.
Messi then picked up the injury at the start of the second half, and speaking after the game, boss Ernesto Valverde said they were not willing to take a risk on him.
The full extent of the damage has yet to be revealed, but Valverde has described Messi’s injury as a “small problem in the adductor”.
He also said they will find out more today, but did not sound overly concerned. “When something happens to Messi, everyone stops, not only on the field, but in the stands as well,” he said. “As a precaution we have decided not to risk it. In theory, it is nothing more but we will see tomorrow how it is.”
The absence of Messi has been a huge blow this season and Barca will be keeping their fingers crossed for good news.
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