Barcelona have left Lionel Messi out of their 19-man squad to face Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The Argentine played the full 90 minutes of Barca’s 1-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid on Saturday, but was not included in the list of players who will travel to the Ukraine for the Group G match.
Manager Ronald Koeman advised he has decided to rest Messi and midfielder Frenkie de Jong for the European tie because they are in a good position in their group but are struggling in 12th place in LaLiga.
The club cannot afford another injury after Gerard Pique and Sergi Roberto joined Ansu Fati and Samuel Umtiti in the long-term absentee list.
The superstar forward is due a rest after missing just 45 minutes of action in total for Barca this season and played all of both Argentina’s games against Paraguay and Peru last week.
Source: Lionel Messi LEFT OUT of Barcelona’s 19-man Champions League squad for trip
to Dynamo Kiev7 hours ago
