Barcelona and Real Madrid will face each other at Nou Camp in the semi finals of the Copa del Rey. Scroll down and get to know the Barcelona squad!
A major boost to Barcelona’s chances of winning and making to the final of the Copa del rey 2018-19, Lionel Messi was included in the matchday squad for the big first leg against evergreen-rivals Real Madrid on Wednesday.
It is confirmed that the Argentine player, Messi, also the
5-time Ballon d’Or winner is included in the squad for matchday. While manager Ernesto Valverde refused to give clarification on the Argentine’s chances for the fixture, it has now been clarified that a green signal has been given to Messi.
The Barcelona superstar was hit with an injury on his right leg in the 2-2 draw against Valencia – on Saturday, where he scored a brace. After missing Monday’s training session, there were doubts over his fitness for the Real Madrid showdown. Having participated in the training session on Tuesday, Messi redeclared his case and was subsequently included in the matchday squad.
Valverde, the Spanish former footballer who is now the coach and manager for Spanish League hit – Barcelona club has refused to confirm whether the 31-year-old will be a part of the Barcelona starting XI on Wednesday, a report in Sport has confirmed that he has now been given the ‘green light’ for the first leg.
Messi has been in golden goal scoring form, with the double against Valencia being the 9th consecutive game in which he has scored. He has taken his tally to 21 goals this season, and with Cristiano Ronaldo no longer in Spain, Messi is leading Pichichi charts, having netted 6 times more than second-placed Luis Suarez and nine clear from third-placed Christian Stuani of Girona.
However, Santiago Solari, Real Madrid coach confirmed in the pre-match press conference whilst Messi’s presence was still an uncertainty at that time that his plans for the El Clasico will not be altered, no matter if Messi plays or not.
“It’s always good to have the best players playing in every match,” he said on Tuesday. “Whether he plays or not, it’s not going to influence how we prepare for the game.”
When the Catalans came out 5-1 victorious, Messi wasn’t a part of the last meeting between the two sides in the La Liga. It was the first time since the 2008-09 season that the neither Messi, nor Ronaldo featured in the El Clasico.
Barcelona squad: Ter Stegen, Inaki Pena, Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Murillo, Vermaelen, Alba, Roberto, Rakitic, Busquets, Coutinho, Arthur, Vidal, Prince, Alena, Malcom, Suarez, Messi.
For dear Indian viewers, Disha News is notifying that El Clasico won’t be broadcasted on sports TV channels or Facebook. You can watch the match
LIVE on Jio TV.
Stay tuned for more updates!
