Leo Messi calculates the risk of playing against PSG

Just two days are left before Barcelona takes on Paris Saint-Germain at the Nou Camp. Leo Messi still has time, but the sensations of recent days suggest that if the Argentine plays on Wednesday, he may be running a risk. The striker still has a sore hamstring in his right leg and it’s still not certain that he will be in Tito’s starting eleven.

Messi is also still unable to train. He’s been working on his physical fitness after sessions of physiotherapy and recovery as explained by the club talking about what he did on Sunday. Therefore, Messi is in the hands of the physios who are taking good care of him helping him get back as soon as possible. Last night he was scheduled for another ultrasound test to see how the hamstring is evolving and assess the progress although no concrete decisions will be made regarding Messi until Wednesday before the crunch game with PSG.

The doctors, the coaching staff and the player himself will make a joint decision, and all know that there could be risks. At this point it would be foolish to deny the importance of Messi at FC Barcelona and that is exactly why a relapse could be very costly for the Catalan giants.

A 2-2 draw in the first leg is not a bad result for Barca. The return leg won’t be played with the same intensity and need for goals like the game against AC Milan after losing 2-0 in the first leg. Barca has two important away goals, which gives them a slight advantage.

Therefore, keeping Messi on the bench and only using him in case things get ugly may be an option for Barca. If things go well, Messi could wait until he is fully recovered from his injury, which ensures that FC Barcelona has their star player for the semifinals of the Champions League.

While Messi is irreplaceable, the team proved against Mallorca that they have other options.

Fàbregas had a great game in the position he likes, a false number nine, like Messi. He scored three goals and proved he can be a viable option for the PSG game. Tito Vilanova has numerous possibilites in his attack. David Villa, for example, did not play a single minute last Saturday and Pedro is about to make a comeback from injury and Alexis earned brownie points with his two goals.