Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman is considering leaving Lionel Messi on the bench for Saturday’s La Liga clash against Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez.
The Dutch coach has resisted rotating his team in his first three games in charge but is now considering changes because of the recent international break and Barca’s fixture list, according to Santi Gimenez at AS.
Messi played at altitude on Tuesday for Argentina against Bolivia in World Cup qualifying and is not due to return to Barcelona training until Thursday afternoon. Koeman is also considering giving his captain a breather ahead of crunch fixtures against Juventus in the Champions League and Real Madrid in La Liga.
Messi has played every minute of Barcelona’s three La Liga games so far in 2020-21, scoring in the win over Celta Vigo at Balaidos. If he does sit out Saturday’s match then Koeman has plenty of options to replace him in his starting XI.
New signings Pedri and Francisco Trincao are both pushing for a first start, while young midfielder Riqui Puig and winger Ousmane Dembele are also options to come into the team.
Follow the Heavy on Barcelona Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!
Messi Leads Argentina to Victory
Messi led Argentina to victory against Bolivia in La Paz. The match was played at altitude which can be physically difficult for players. The Barcelona star vomited on the pitch in La Paz back in 2013, while team-mate Angel di Maria required oxygen.
The forward spoke about how difficult the conditions were after the game, according to Marca.
“We suffered a lot physically. The strategy was to play down the clock and we did it with great difficulty. We knew Bolivia would throw everything at us, it’s a terrible place to play.”
Yet Argentina managed to cope with the conditions well on Tuesday and won the game thanks to goals from Joaquin Correa and Lautaro Martinez. Messi was embroiled in an angry clash at the full-time whistle with the Bolivia fitness coach but took to Instagram to highlight his happiness at the result.
He wrote: “Great triumph at altitude, where it always costs more. There is still a lot to do, the qualifiers have just started and we are very happy to have achieved these two victories.”
The result means Argentina have won both of their opening qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup. Messi’s team ran out 1-0 winners in their opener against Ecuador, with the skipper scoring the only goal from the penalty spot.
Key Clashes for Barcelona
The 33-year-old will now turn his attentions back to domestic matters and some important fixtures. The visit of champions Real Madrid on October 24 will be eagerly-anticipated and could help determine which teams ends the season on top of the league.
Barcelona also kick off their Champions League campaign with matches against Ferencvaros and Juventus. The Hungarian champions are the first up at the Camp Nou in a match Barcelona will be expected to win comfortably.
Serie A champions Juventus should provide a far tougher test in Turin. However, the hosts may have to cope without star man Cristiano Ronaldo, as the Portugal international has tested positive for Covid-19.
READ NEXT: Barcelona Make Massive Decision on Riqui Puig’s Future