Barcelona confident Lionel Messi will be ready for Mallorca, despite 'minor' thigh injury

Football fans are bracing themselves to watch the return of Argentine maestro Lionel Messi when Barcelona face Mallorca on June 13 in what will be their first game back post the resumption of La Liga 2019-20 season. 

Messi sustained a “minor” thigh injury due to which he could miss the action but Barcelona are confident that the left-footed talisman will be fit for their match against Mallorca. Messi hasn’t trained with the rest of the squad since Tuesday and worked separately in the gym on Wednesday and Friday with Thursday being common off for players.

The Catalan club said that Messi should return to training “in a few days’ time” but his repeated absence from full training raises doubts over his fitness as clubs gear up for resumption. 

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"Leo Messi has a minor right quadriceps injury and trained in isolation, doing specific exercises to avoid unnecessary risks with just eight days remaining before Barca finally get back to playing matches," a club statement read. 

"He should be able to rejoin his team-mates in a few days’ time."

Messi has had an injury-laden 2019-20 season thus far. The 32-year-old was sidelined due to calf injury between August and September and missed another week due to a problem in his left thigh. However, like every other season, Messi has been lethal in front of the goal as he scored 24 goals in 31 appearances in the 2019-20 season with Barcelona sitting two points clear atop the La Liga table. 

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Barca added the team will train on the pitch at Camp Nou on Saturday as coach Quique Setien "works to get his players ready for the return to football, but with games being played behind closed doors