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What’s the story?
Lionel Messi has been on the sidelines due to a calf injury and was expected to make the squad for Barcelona's upcoming fixture against Osasuna on Saturday. But if reports coming out of Spain are to be believed, the Argentine will be out for a month as he has struggled with a physical problem while continuing his recovery process.
In case you didn’t know…
Messi injured his right calf after he returned to Barcelona's training camp after Argentina's Copa America campaign in Brazil. The 32-year-old missed the Catalan giants' pre-season tour of the United States and after failing to recover in time, was forced to watch his team lose their La Liga opener against Atheltic Bilbao. He also didn't take part in Barcelona's win over Real Betis last weekend.
The heart of the matter
According to reports, Messi is set to remain sidelined for another month. He had a physical problem while continuing with his recovery process on Tuesday.
The Argentine is expected to miss the fixtures against Osasuna, Valencia, Granada and Villarreal. It is believed that Messi could make his comeback against Getafe on September 28th.
The Catalan giants kick-started their La Liga campaign without their talisman and lost to Athletic Bilbao, following a lacklustre performance. Barcelona were hoping to have Messi back in their side to face Real Betis, but the 32-year-old failed to recover in time for their second fixture.
Despite Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele also being sidelined, Ernesto Valverde was treating Messi's situation with extra care as he did not want to risk aggravating it.
What's next?
Barcelona were hoping to have Messi back in action against Osasuna but as things stand, they will have to wait further to see the Argentine lead their lines once again.
