According to reports in Spain, Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde had to convince Lionel Messi to sit out the clash against Inter Milan in the Champions League midweek. Both sides met on Tuesday at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza and it ended in a 1-1 draw.
While Messi is expected to feature against Betis, he could get a limited game time so he could rest some more over the international break before returning to full match fitness. The team manage to hold the Italians, who remain in the second spot in the group. The Barca team tried but their conversion rate in the absence of messi can get better. They had 26 shots but only one converted.
Malcom seem to be stepping up in the absence of Messi. Rafinha also showed he could do more when called upon in hard times. Luis Suarez, who can he goal shy in Europe these past few years, remained brilliant in league games. He was simply prolific in the game against Real Madrid. He got the hat trick that further destabilized the home of their major rivals for the league title.Barca are expected to seal their spot at the top with back to back victories, hoping Madrid fumble some more.
In other news, Ousmane Dembele could miss action this weekend due to gastroenteritis limiting his training sessions. The World Cup winner missed the session on Thursday but he is expected to recover soon. While he could still feature in the weekend game, his game time would likely be limited.