Messi sustained a groin problem during worldwide duty with Argentina and only played 30 minutes as a second-half substitute during the shock 2-1 loss to Alaves on September 10, as Luis Enrique attempted to give him some extra rest.
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Barcelona coach Luis Enrique expects his team to adapt to Lionel Messi’s absence in the same manner as last season when they won eight of their 10 games without the talismanic forward.
“To lose Lionel Messi means football loses and we lose”, said Barca manager Luis Enrique. With Leo we are much stronger, but without him we are still a strong team.
“As such, Barça will be without the best player in the world for the three games that the blaugranes have before the next break for worldwide fixtures: league games against Sporting Gijon and Celta Vigo and the game against Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League”.
The Albiceleste skipper will miss the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Peru and faces a race against time to recover in time to play Paraguay at the start of October after injuring his groin against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.
Iniesta concedes there was a degree of frustration at the final whistle that Barca could not hold on to their lead, especially with Real Madrid having been held to a 1-1 draw by Villarreal earlier on Wednesday.
Off to Spain now and a big game as the last two winners of the domestic league would battle as Barcelona hosted Atletico Madrid.
Messi’s absence had an immediate impact as Angel Correa scored for Atletico just a minute after his global teammate went off to level the scores at 1-1. The home crowd couldn’t sink in enough with Messi’s injury, when Diego Godin’s header was superbly pushed over the bar by Ter Stegen in the dying minutes of the game.
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi leaves the pitch next to coach Luis Enrique. The duo netted 18 goals between them with Messi sidelined.
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The five-times world player of the year limped off in the second half of Barca’s La Liga match at the Nou Camp, moments before the visiting side equalised. “Now we have to take responsibility”. “That’s the way we will go, convinced of the need to win and to carry on playing well”.
