Lionel Messi Injury Update: Barcelona Forward Ruled Out of Valencia Clash; Argentina Star Could Also Miss Champions League Opener against Borussia Dortmund

Lionel Messi has been ruled out of Barcelona’s next La Liga encounter against Valencia after being unsure about his fitness. The Argentine star, who suffered a calf injury during a Copa America, is yet to make a single appearance for Barcelona in the 2019/20 La Liga season. Messi, 32, sat out of the Blaugrana club’s opening three domestic league matches and was expected to make a return after the international break but latest reports suggest that he might not only miss the home game league against Valencia but also not take part in Barcelona’s Champions League group opener against Borussia Dortmund.  Lionel Messi Feels Barcelona Did Not Go All Out to Bring Neymar Back to Club.

Barcelona have been placed in Group F – group of death – alongside Serie A giants Inter Milan, Dortmund and the Czech Republic club Slavia Prague in the 2019/20 Champions League. The four-time Champions League winners are aiming to reclaim the trophy after four years but will have to begin the season without their talismanic forward and captain, Messi. Barca last won the European title in 2015. Lionel Messi Reportedly Upset with Barcelona for Signing Antoine Griezmann, Wants to Replace Him With Napoli’s Lorenzo Insigne.

Messi aggravated his calf injury during the Barcelona training session on August 5 and has since then been training away from the regular first-team practise sessions. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who was awarded Europe’s Best Forward for the 2018/19 season, watched from the stands as Barcelona suffered a 0-1 away defeat to Athletic Bilbao in their opening La Liga encounter. A Messi-less Barca also were held to a 2-2 draw at Osasuna and are currently lingering at the eighth position in La Liga points table with just four points after three matches.

Barca head coach Ernesto Valverde had earlier stated that Messi could be available for the Catalan club’s first game post the international break but latest news suggests that the recovery is taking longer than expected which means Messi is set to miss more matches for Barcelona. According to Goal, the Blaugrana captain missed Tuesday and Wednesday’s training sessions with the first team and was pictured training alone.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 12, 2019 08:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).