BARCELONA — Barcelona has yet to clear Lionel Messi to
play, but has included the injured forward in its squad for Tuesday’s
Champions League first-leg semifinal at Bayern Munich.
On Sunday Barcelona released its squad that will travel to Germany, with Messi’s name carrying an asterisk that the “player hasn’t been medically cleared” to play.
Messi injured his right leg on April 2. He has since missed three Spanish league games, while going on as a substitute to help rally Barcelona past Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals last week.
The Argentine took a full part in training Sunday morning.
“Lionel Messi trained normally on Sunday morning and although he has not been given the medical all-clear, will be among the 21 players in the squad for the Champions League match against Bayern Munich,” said a statement on the Barcelona website.
“The only three players absent from the squad are the injured (Javier) Mascherano and (Carles) Puyol and the suspended Adriano.”
Messi is expected to start despite not having played since the second-leg of Barca’s quarterfinal against Paris Saint-Germain on April 10.
Meanwhile, the absence of Adriano, Puyol and Mascherano mean that 22-year-old centre-back Marc Bartra is likely to partner Gerard Pique at the back.
Barcelona’s 1-0 home win over Levante Saturday showed that defender Eric Abidal is fit enough to play a full match after making a remarkable recovery from a liver transplant.
The former France international played at center back alongside Adriano, the first time the 33-year-old has completed 90 minutes in more than a year, and proved he is a viable option to partner Gerard Pique in the middle of defense in Tuesday’s Champions League match.
Abidal’s experience, athleticism and heading ability could be crucial against Bayern’s fearsome attacking force, which includes his former France teammate Franck Ribery.
Adriano, who like Abidal normally plays at fullback, was deployed alongside Pique in this month’s 1-1 quarterfinal second leg draw at home to Paris St Germain and picked up a yellow card, meaning he is suspended for Tuesday’s game.
“It’s a very happy day for everyone,” Barca’s assistant coach Jordi Roura, standing in for Tito Vilanova, who is recovering from cancer treatment, told a news conference after the Levante game.
“Abidal completed a full match and he felt very good.
“In footballing terms, I think he played at a very high level and he knew perfectly how to pace himself.”
Abidal is a huge favorite with the Barca fans and his return just before the climax of the Champions League raises the prospect of him lifting the coveted trophy at Wembley for the second time in three years.
Puyol stepped aside to allow Abidal, who had returned to the team after an initial operation to remove a tumour from his liver, to hoist the Cup in 2011 following Barca’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United in London.
“We will evaluate all the players over the next few days,” Roura said. “Everyone who is in perfect physical shape has a chance of being in the starting 11 Tuesday.” — Agencies
On Sunday Barcelona released its squad that will travel to Germany, with Messi’s name carrying an asterisk that the “player hasn’t been medically cleared” to play.
Messi injured his right leg on April 2. He has since missed three Spanish league games, while going on as a substitute to help rally Barcelona past Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals last week.
The Argentine took a full part in training Sunday morning.
“Lionel Messi trained normally on Sunday morning and although he has not been given the medical all-clear, will be among the 21 players in the squad for the Champions League match against Bayern Munich,” said a statement on the Barcelona website.
“The only three players absent from the squad are the injured (Javier) Mascherano and (Carles) Puyol and the suspended Adriano.”
Messi is expected to start despite not having played since the second-leg of Barca’s quarterfinal against Paris Saint-Germain on April 10.
Meanwhile, the absence of Adriano, Puyol and Mascherano mean that 22-year-old centre-back Marc Bartra is likely to partner Gerard Pique at the back.
Barcelona’s 1-0 home win over Levante Saturday showed that defender Eric Abidal is fit enough to play a full match after making a remarkable recovery from a liver transplant.
The former France international played at center back alongside Adriano, the first time the 33-year-old has completed 90 minutes in more than a year, and proved he is a viable option to partner Gerard Pique in the middle of defense in Tuesday’s Champions League match.
Abidal’s experience, athleticism and heading ability could be crucial against Bayern’s fearsome attacking force, which includes his former France teammate Franck Ribery.
Adriano, who like Abidal normally plays at fullback, was deployed alongside Pique in this month’s 1-1 quarterfinal second leg draw at home to Paris St Germain and picked up a yellow card, meaning he is suspended for Tuesday’s game.
“It’s a very happy day for everyone,” Barca’s assistant coach Jordi Roura, standing in for Tito Vilanova, who is recovering from cancer treatment, told a news conference after the Levante game.
“Abidal completed a full match and he felt very good.
“In footballing terms, I think he played at a very high level and he knew perfectly how to pace himself.”
Abidal is a huge favorite with the Barca fans and his return just before the climax of the Champions League raises the prospect of him lifting the coveted trophy at Wembley for the second time in three years.
Puyol stepped aside to allow Abidal, who had returned to the team after an initial operation to remove a tumour from his liver, to hoist the Cup in 2011 following Barca’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United in London.
“We will evaluate all the players over the next few days,” Roura said. “Everyone who is in perfect physical shape has a chance of being in the starting 11 Tuesday.” — Agencies
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