The Barcelona talisman got a knock on his inner thigh during the match against Valencia on Saturday. Although he got back into the match, it was glaring that Messi was disturbed by the knock from then on. He has gone for further checkups to ascertain the extent of the injury as Barcelona prepare for a crunch match against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
While explaining that the medical staff is currently assessing the gravity of the knock, Coach Ernesto Valverde said the team earnestly awaits the results.
Barca had found themselves trailing by 2 goals before the Argentine superstar stepped up to convert a penalty to reduce the deficit. He subsequently slotted in a sublime finish in the 64th minute to help his team get on level terms with the in-form Valencia.
However, Messi got hit in his inner thighs some minutes after, taking out some minutes off the pitch to be treated before he came back into the game.
The game eventually ended at 2-2 as the away team withheld the pressure from Barcelona players, as well as their fans in the Camp Nou.
While speaking with newsmen, Valverde said, “Messi has a small problem. I don’t know exactly what he has.
“We will have to wait to see what medical staff say. If he’s in good shape, he’ll play on Wednesday.”
Beyond the injury scare, Ivan Rakitic expressed his delight over the manner in which the team responded to the goals conceded, even though it became frustrating at some point.
He said, “We had a great desire to turn it around,” Rakitic said. “In the second half, we were far superior. It was like we were playing handball. We were just missing a goal.”
As it stands, Barcelona are six points ahead of Atletico Madrid at the top of Spanish La Liga, while Real Madrid are 11 points behind them. Although, the two Madrid teams have a game in hand.
Also, read: Abia police honour serving, retired officers for meritorious service