Lionel Messi and Malcom have been left out of Barcelona's squad for Saturday's LaLiga trip to Rayo Vallecano. Argentina star Messi has still not recovered fully from a broken arm sustained against Sevilla on October 20, despite having resumed team training in recent days.
"It's still early. He's still recovering," head coach Ernesto Valverde told a news conference on Friday. When asked if Messi could be fit for the Champions League game against Inter on Tuesday, Valverde replied: "We need to wait."
Despite the absence of the 31-year-old, Valverde has decided to leave out Malcom, who made his first start for the club in the 1-0 Copa del Rey win over Cultural Leonesa on Wednesday.
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Denis Suarez has also been dropped from the squad, but youngsters Carlos Alena and Chumi have kept their places.
Sergi Samper is sidelined with a calf injury suffered against Cultural, while centre-backs Samuel Umtiti and Thomas Vermaelen remain short of full fitness.
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