Barcelona will take on Malaga in its second league match of the year on Sunday.
Blaugrana finished with a 7-0 victory in its first game and saw braces from Lionel Messi, Pedro Rodriguez and goals from Dani Alves, Alexis Sanchez, and Xavi Hernandez. One of the most controversial moments in the game came in the second half when Coach Gerardo Martino chose to sub out superstar Lionel Messi. The coach later defended his choice by stating that he planned to rest his top stars when possible.
Unfortunately, Martino will not have the option of playing Messi in Sunday's game against Malaga as his top star was injured earlier in the week against Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup's first leg.
Barcelona star Dani Alves recently told the media that Messi's injury was nothing to worry about and that he should be back soon.
"There is no need to worry about Messi," he said, according to ESPN. "There's no need to sound any alarms. He did not feel comfortable [against Atletico], and was intelligent and decided not to continue. If you have the best player in the world it is normal that you depend on him. But we are working so that you notice absences as little as possible, so that we do not miss a player like him. He needs to recover well. Sometimes the Ferrari must go into the workshop for a tune-up."
''It's a precaution. We don't need to take any risks at the start of the season," added Martino, according to ESPN. ''We're optimistic about his recovery, but it's three days since Wednesday and it's risky. If you want to take risks, you must look at when to take them.''
Malaga lost its opener against Valencia 1-0.
Prediction: Barcelona wins 3-0.
Start Time: 3 p.m. EST
TV: beIN Sport USA.
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