Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Messi left out of Copa del Rey starting XI
- Admin
- Feb 6, 2019
- 1 min read
Barcelona manager, Ernesto Valverde, has left Lionel Messi out of his starting XI, for Wednesday night’s Copa del Rey clash at home to Real Madrid.
Messi has however been named on the bench.
The Argentine superstar was a doubt for the game, after picking up a thigh problem during Saturday’s draw with Valencia.
The 31-year-old scored a brace in the 2-2 draw, but ended up receiving medical treatment on the pitch at the end of the match.
After the match, Valverde said he was hopeful the problem was not serious and Messi trained with his team-mates on Tuesday ahead of the Real Madrid clash.
However, he said he would not take any risks with his captain’s fitness and has subsequently named Messi on the bench for the fixture against Los Blancos.
Philippe Coutinho, Luis Suarez and Malcom all start for the home side.
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