Sports
Messi Left Out Of Huesca Squad Ahead Of Man Utd Clash
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has been left out of the travelling squad to face lowly Huesca in a Spanish La Liga duel this weekend.
Blaugrana manager Ernesto Valverde has decided to rest the Argentine national team skipper who was left with a bloodied nose and face during the first leg clash with Manchester United in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
The Barcelona captain was barged into heavily by Manchester United defender Chris Smalling during the first half of the aforementioned Champions League quarterfinal first leg meeting between the two clubs.
Despite the incident involving Messi and Smalling, Barcelona were able to secure a 1-0 lead through a 12th-minute own goal from Luke Shaw.
As a matter of fact, the only goal of the game came before the incident and Messi was involved in the buildup.
Barcelona have an 11-point gap at the top of the Spanish La Liga table and they can afford to rest key players like Messi ahead of the second leg with Manchester United on Tuesday night.
Apart from star player Messi, the likes of Gerard Pique, Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez and Sergio Roberto were also missing from the 18-man squad named to face Huesca, led by Francisco, away from home.
