Barcelona confirmed on Friday that captain Lionel Messi will miss the team’s final La Liga game of the season on Saturday against already-relegated Eibar at Ipurua.
LATEST NEWS | Leo #Messi is not training today with the coach's permission and will not play against Eibar pic.twitter.com/ak3F5W527x
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 21, 2021
The Catalan giants announced via a statement on the club’s official website that the 33-year-old has been given permission to take a short break ahead of a busy summer at the Copa America with Argentina.
“Leo Messi has not trained on Friday with the coach’s permission and he will not be in the squad for the game against Eibar on Saturday. The striker can enjoy a rest before next month’s Copa América after a season in which he is one of the players in the squad who has played most.”
Messi is not the only player to have been granted a vacation after a hectic schedule in 2020-21. Teenage midfielder Pedri will also miss Saturday’s game to take an early break after making 52 appearances for the club in his debut campaign.
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Koeman Missing Key Men For Final Match
Coach Ronald Koeman will also be without several other key players for his team’s final outing of 2020-21. Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will miss out due to a knee injury and join Sergi Roberto, Ansu Fati, and Philippe Coutinho on the injured list.
France international center-back Clement Lenglet is also unavailable due to suspension. The France international was sent off in Barcelona’s 2-1 defeat to Celta Vigo last time out.
Back-up goalkeeper Neto is likely to start in what is potentially his final game for the club. The Brazilian saw a transfer request turned down in the January transfer window but could move in the summer.
Samuel Umtiti could get a rare start in defense with Lenglet out, while Francisco Trincao and Martin Braithwaite are options to come into the attack due to Messi’s absence.
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