FC Barcelona will be hosting Real Betis at the Camp Nou on Sunday night. Lionel Messi missed the team's opening game last week and even though he appears to have recovered from a calf injury, Betis is hoping that he won't be able to play against them.

"I'd prefer Messi to have a major cold, not an injury, but a cold so he can not play," said Real Betis manager Rubi, at the pre-match press conference.

Despite his wishful thinking, he knows that his side might not be so lucky. After all, Messi had already been spotted in training throughout the past week. "I think Messi is going to play from the start. It's what I think," he admitted.

Messi picked up an injury in the off-season, after he returned from representing Argentina in the Copa America. He has since missed Barcelona's off-season tour of the United States and the club's opening La Liga match.

His presence was definitely missed last week, when Barcelona lost 0-1 to Athletic Bilbao. Real Betis is also coming from a loss. They conceded 1-2 to Valladolid in their season opener last week. Both teams will be eager to finally chalk up some points to kick start the La Liga season.

Lionel Messi
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Rubi knows that his side will have a better chance against Barcelona if Messi isn't on the pitch. With Ousmane Dembele also injured, Barcelona is looking vulnerable. If Messi does play, it will be the first opportunity for him to team up with new signing Antoine Griezmann.

Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde will have one more training session on Saturday evening, in which he can assess Messi's fitness. He previously stated that he is being cautious when it comes to players that are returning from injury. If Messi does play, there is a chance that he will be coming off the bench.

While there are no reports of a flu virus floating around, the club did report that Rafinha is down with gastroenteritis.

Barcelona vs. Real Betis will be played at the Camp Nou at 9:00 pm CEST (8:00 pm BST).

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