Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are ready to start for the Blaugrana against Real Mallorca, head coach Quique Setien has confirmed.
He also has good news over the Argentine star Messi’s fitness, but remained cautious about his strike partner Luis Suarez who will be making his first appearance after a long 5-month hiatus due to injury.
Barca return to Spanish League action tonight on with a trip to Son Moix following the coronavirus-enforced break, and a win over their relegation-threatened opponents will see them further extend their lead at the summit.
The La Liga reigning champions sit two points clear of rivals Real Madrid, who will not be in action until Sunday when they host Eibar in the capital.
Messi’s fitness had earlier been a major concern ahead of the resumption, with the talismanic forward hampered by a quadriceps injury, but he has since suffered no further setbacks after resuming training with the rest of the squad at the start of the week.
“He’s ready to play, he’s perfectly okay. He’s trained well, there is no problem,” Setien said as his pre-match media conference.
“Messi and a lot of these players know how to gauge things and how to save their strength when necessary.
“As for breaks, we’ll see. For some, the more time they’re on the pitch, the better.”
With Suarez, it had looked earlier like the striker had been set to miss the remainder of the 2019-20 campaign with a knee injury before the Covid-19 pandemic but Barca fans will be thrilled to hear that the Uruguay international is confirmed back for both domestic duties and the Champions League.
Even with that being so, Setien will be cautioning restraint with a player who is just returning from a lengthy lay-off, indicating that Suarez will not be playing for the full duration of the game against Mallorca.
“Surely he is to be a starter, but not for the full 90 minutes,” the Barca boss explained.
“We will not take risks after five months. It will be good for him to play and he will need games to be the same as he was before.”
Suarez has scored 14 goals in all competitions this season but has not featured since January 9.
Barcelona are also still alive and kicking in the Champions League round of 16, having last drawn 1-1 with Napoli at the San Paolo in the first leg of their tie.