However, the club’s sporting director Rudi Voeller claimed he wasn’t pleased to hear Messi will be out of action. “You simply like to watch him play”.
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The Camp Nou celebrated, but the win should not hide the fact that Messi is vital to Barca and just as important is the need for Luis Enrique to tighten up his side’s porous defense.
Enrique described the injury to Iniesta – which follows the news that Messi is likely to be sidelined for up to two months with a leg injury – as “terrible news”, adding: “These are thorns in our side we have to shake off”.
It will be a tough few weeks for Neymar, but it’s an excellent opportunity for the player to step out of the shadows of Barca’s greatest ever entity.
Barca’s next game sees them travel to face Sevilla on Saturday afternoon.
“Time is in his favor”. Should Messi come back and hit the incredible heights that he’s known for then the comparison won’t mean much and one of the deadliest striking trio in world football will be free to run rampant.
“Messi’s injury affects us a lot”. We evaluate our options and aim to be as risky as possible.
“It’s a major loss but now we have to become even stronger”.
Bayern, who have won every one of their games this season, are already without wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery as well as defenders Medhi Benatia and Holger Badstuber.
He did, however, supply Suarez with an assist against Las Palmas – the Uruguayan’s fifth goal in nine matches.
Kampl came on to score the third goal after Swiss forward Admir Mehmedi and Germany Under-21 winger Julian Brandt had netted for the visitors.
“We are the European champions and we knew that in the second half we had to show it”, Suarez said.
Meanwhile, Leverkusen are on a two-match winning streak in the Bundesliga heading to their match against Barcelona.
Right before leaving the pitch, Chicharito also missed a clear shot that would have put his team ahead by 2-0. Nobody is going to want to imitate Leo.
But the Barcelona boss was also forced to defend Neymar himself, who had another poor game.
Barca are unbeaten at home in the Champions League since losing 3-0 to Bayer Munich in May 2013, their only defeat in their last 33 matches at the Nou Camp in Europe’s elite club competition.
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Roma is the favorite heading into the other Group E game in Belarus against BATE, although the Italian side makes the trip without Edin Dzeko, Francesco Totti and Seydou Keita, who are all injured.
