Lionel Messi is back for Barça and ready to face Real Betis on Sunday

Lionel Messi has finished the recovery from his calf injury and is now training at full intensity alongside his teammates ahead of the match against Real Betis on Sunday. 

Despite the remarkable progress from Leo, Valverde still hasn't decided whether he should start the match or begin on the bench. According to 'AS', the most likely option right now is he'll start as a substitute. There's still another session planned for Saturday afternoon and that is when the coach, and the player, will decide what Messi's role will be.

There's a need for caution when it comes to the Argentine star. He returned late from the Copa America, picked up an injury in his first training session back and has only just returned to full training. Playing 90 minutes is impossible and unnecessary right now.

However, the situation isn't helped by the injuries to fellow forwards Ousmane Dembele and Luis Suarez. Both are ruled out for at least the next two matches and this leaves Griezmann as the only certainty to play against Betis.

Rafinha missed training today due to a stomach bug but is expected to be available on Sunday. Carles Perez, who had a fantastic preseason campaign, could also play a part against Betis.