News24
17 Sep 2019, 01:13 GMT+10
Berlin - Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said Monday that Lionel Messi could make his comeback against Borussia Dortmund as the Catalan giants launch a fresh assault on the Champions League title in Germany on Tuesday evening.
Messi, who has missed the beginning of the season with a calf injury, was named in Barcelona's squad for Tuesday's Champions League opener, though it remains unclear whether the Argentinian will play.
"We will decide tomorrow. For the last week we have been unsure whether he will be able to play, but he has trained two or three times and made a good impression. We will see," said Valverde at a press conference on Monday.
The Barcelona coach refused to say whether 16-year-old Ansu Fati, who became the club's youngest ever goalscorer earlier this month, would break another record by becoming the youngest ever Champions League debutant on Tuesday.
"If he plays, then it will not be because of the record," said the coach.
Valverde said that his team were looking to put the past behind them after their dramatic semi-final defeat to eventual winners Liverpool in last season's Champions League.
"If you have one bad day, you can be knocked out of this competition. We lost just one match last season, but it was a decisive match," he said, adding that Barcelona wanted to go further this year than they had in the past two seasons.
Yet Marc Ter Stegen, Barcelona's German keeper, who played under current Dortmund coach Lucien Favre at Borussia Moenchengladbach earlier in his career, warned that Dortmund would provide a tough first test.
"Lucien Favre is one of the best coaches I have ever worked under, and he will have thought of a way to hurt us," said the German.
"It is always difficult to come here, and we always struggled here with 'Gladbach, but we will try to win and get a good start to the competition."
"It is a spectacular stadium and the supporters are always crazy, but we will try not to be influenced by that."
Barcelona have conceded six goals in four games this season and are yet to win away from home.
"We are conceding a lot of goals at the moment, we have to accept that and try to improve," Ter Stegen
"Some of the mistakes we are making are easy to correct."
Get a daily dose of The UK News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to The UK News.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks had a volatile day on Thursday after the House of Representatives narrowly passed President Donald...
ATLANTA, Georgia: Home Depot plans to hold prices steady despite the added strain of tariffs, the company said, but warned that some...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. Department of Justice dropped a lawsuit last week against Southwest Airlines. The lawsuit, filed near the...
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Airbus is in discussions with Malaysian airlines to introduce its A220 aircraft, the company's Asia-Pacific...
BEIJING, China: Huawei has launched its first laptops running on its proprietary HarmonyOS, marking a significant step in its effort...
NEW YORK, New York: U.S. stocks dived on Wednesday as investors and traders fretted about the passing of the budget bill by Congress...
Washington [US], May 22 (ANI): Actor and screenwriter Rob McElhenney shared how he and wife Kaitlin Olson are supporting Ryan Reynolds...
Madrid [Spain], May 22 (ANI): Real Madrid CF icon and captain Luka Modric has agreed to end his unforgettable time as a player at Los...
BEIRUT, 22nd May, 2025 (WAM) -- FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, Regional Office-Asia has confirmed that Dubai will host...
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 22 (ANI): Subhasish Bose's tremendously successful domestic season with Mohun Bagan Super Giant...
Bilbao [Spain], May 22 (ANI): Tottenham Hotspur brought joy to their fans at last, ending a long trophy drought by winning the Europa...
ZURICH, 21st May, 2025 (WAM) -- The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has announced the opening of a special...