Lionel Messi has been ruled out of Barcelona Tuesday's Champions League encounter against Inter Milan at the San Siro.
Ernesto Valverde named his 20-man squad, which witnessed the absence of the 2019 Ballon d'Or's winner, along with Gerard Pique and Sergi Roberto who are also left out.
The Blaugrana had booked their place in the knock out stage as Group F winners.
On the other hand, Milan need to secure victory to qualify automatically for the last 16, without waiting for Borussia Dortmund's result, or if they finish level on points with Dortmund as they have a superior head-to-head record.
https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/1204027253836918786
Barcelona are now leading the group with eleven points, followed by Inter Milan (2nd), Dortmund (3rd), and Slavia Praha (4th). Noteworthy, Barcelona defeated Inter Milan in the second round of group stage with two unanswered goals.
Earlier, Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu admitted he fears the day the game’s greatest ever player Lionel Messi retires.
Messi has played for Barcelona for his entire career but is entering his final stages in the world of football after celebrating his 32nd birthday last summer.
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Messi wins the 2019 Ballon d'Or'[/caption]
The Argentinian player celebrated his sixth Ballon d’Or last week, and admitted that he would be approaching the end of his playing career soon.
Reacting to that news, Bartomeu told Catalunya Radio: ‘I am worried about the day Messi retires. ‘I would like him to sign another contract. He still has time ahead of him, we’ve spoken many times about it.
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