Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Ben Hayward

Barcelona duo Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez ready for Mallorca clash, says Quique Setien

Barcelona coach Quique Setien says Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are ready to face Mallorca on Saturday.

The LaLiga leaders travel to the island for their first match following the competition's restart on Thursday and the two South American forwards are both in line to start.

Messi missed two training sessions last week with a minor thigh injury, but has been working with the group since Monday.

Meanwhile, Suarez has been given the green light to return after five months out following knee surgery in January.

Asked about Messi's fitness in a telematic press conference on Friday, Setien said: "In principle, he's perfectly [fine].

"He has trained perfectly and he looks really good. I don't see any problem."

With Suarez, the question is whether he will be included in the first XI or else start from the bench after such a lengthy lay-off.

"He is surely [ready]," Setien said. "Perhaps he is not able to play the whole match and we won't take the risk.

"He could also start on the bench, but he's in condition [to play]."

Barca lead LaLiga by two points from rivals Real Madrid and play a day before Los Blancos, who are in action at home to Eibar on Sunday.

"If you give me the choice, I prefer to play first," Setien said. "If you win, you have done your job. If not, you wait.

"I prefer to play before Madrid."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.