Valverde: "Messi is no longer playing with fear - he's ready"
Barça's head coach has revealed that in the last few days Messi isn't worried about his broken arm and is back to his normal self
Leo Messi has returned to FC Barcelona's match day squad after three weeks out with a broken arm. The Argentine has recovered from the injury and will start against Real Betis on Sunday. The coach, Ernesto Valverde, admitted there's no reason for Messi not to be out on the pitch.
"Messi is no longer playing with the fear of falling down and hurting his arm or battling with a defender. That wasn't the case at first. It's something you need to get out of your mind. You can't think about the worst that could happen because that is what will limit your performance. It isn't a leg injury. He looks good; comfortable."
Unsurprisingly Valverde is happy to have both Messi and Umtiti to call upon because "they add so much to the team" and the presence of Messi could be vital against a tricky Betis side. "It's an aggressive team who try to stop you from playing your way. They fight to keep hold of the ball. It'll be one of those games where both sides want to play football but the other will try to nullify the impact of the opposition. It could open up at any moment and we must take advantage of that when it happens."
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