BARCELONA, Spain (AP)
Barcelona
manager Gerardo Martino says Lionel Messi has returned to fitness from
his injury layoff, but won't play his star forward in Sunday's league
game against Elche.
"In my view Messi is full of desire, I think he is in very good shape
physically and has the look of a killer," said Martino. He needs to gain
more rhythm from training with his teammates and then in competitive
action, but he is doing very well."
Messi trained with his teammates this week for the first time since
tearing his left hamstring in November and spending time in Argentina
doing rehab.
While Messi improves his fitness, goalkeeper Victor Valdes made the
squad for Sunday's game against Elche. Valdes hasn't played for six
weeks since injuring his right leg. Xavi Hernandez also returns from
injury, while Dani Alves is out with a fever. Yet, Martino remains
confident over Barcelona's chances against Elche.
"There is no reason why we should take a step back in the way we have
been playing," said Martino in a press conference. "The players have
returned in good shape and we hope to start the league again with a high
level of performance."
No comments:
Post a Comment