Barcelona skipper Lionel Messi is set to miss Saturday’s clash against Osasuna as his rehabilitation from a calf injury has not been good. If the Argentine international misses the weekend clash, it is highly likely we will see the mercurial player for the first time post the international break against Valencia. It has been a tough period for Lionel Messi as he did not feature for the entirety of the pre-season games. Although Barcelona did manage to win their last game against Real Betis, the absence of Messi is an issue.

Barcelona have been hit by injuries to Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele that has left them short in the forward department. With the continued absence of Lionel Messi, the onus will be on Antoine Griezmann to be the key playmaker of the side. He scored a brace against Betis in the previous game and what was interesting to see was the spaces he occupied in that match. Just like Lionel Messi, the French star would often drop deep to set up chances for others, which will encourage coach Ernesto Valverde to use him in a similar fashion as Messi. Lionel Messi Ruled Out of Barcelona vs Osasuna Clash in La Liga After Another Injury Setback: Reports.

Barcelona have also denied reports in media claiming Lionel Messi has had a relapse of the calf injury sustained in club’s first training session in the USA during the pre-season tour. Although they have admitted, he has been training alone under the guidance of the club’s physios due to a slow recovery cycle. The Catalonian club will now hope their captain makes judicious use of the international break to get completely fit as domestic as well as European competitions start in September.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 29, 2019 12:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).