Messi ready to play against Mallorca: Barcelona head coach
Jun 13, 2020
Balearic Islands [Spain], June 13 : Ahead of the clash against Mallorca, Barcelona head coach Quique Setien confirmed that star striker Lionel Messi is ready to take the field for the side.
"He is ready to play, he is perfectly okay. He is trained well, there is no problem. Messi and a lot of these players know how to gauge things and how to save their strength when necessary," Goal.com quoted Setien as saying in the pre-match media conference.
"As for breaks, we will see. For some, the more time they are on the pitch, the better," he said.
Messi's fitness was a major concern ahead of the resumption -- the talismanic forward was dealing with a quadriceps injury. But he has suffered no further setbacks since returning to training with the rest of the squad at the start of the week.
On the other hand, striker Luis Suarez who is returning the pitch after a knee injury and a lengthy lay-off, will not play the whole 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," he said.
Suarez has scored 14 goals in all competitions this season but has not featured since January 9.
Barcelona will take on Mallorca in the La Liga game at Son Moix on June 14. Reigning champions Barca sit two points clear of rivals Real Madrid, who will play against the host Eibar in the Spanish capital, Madrid.
