Lionel Messi has been left out of the Barcelona squad by manager Ronald Koeman for their Champions League clash against Ferencvaros on Wednesday. The Argentine, who scored against Osasuna on the weekend, has been omitted from the 20-man squad that will travel to Hungary for the Group G clash in UCL 2020-21. In addition to the Argentine, Marc Andre Ter Stegen and Philippe Coutinho won’t travel with the team as well. Lionel Messi Tribute to Diego Maradona! Barcelona Star Celebrates in Iconic Newell’s Old Boys Shirt, Dedicates Goal to Argentina Legend (Watch Video).

Lionel Messi played the entire 90 minutes during the weekend’s 4-0 win over Osasuna in La Liga, scoring the final goal of the game. However, Ronald Koeman has decided against taking the Argentine to Hungary for their clash against Ferencvaros. This will be the second consecutive time that the 33-year-old has been left out of the Catalan’s UCL squad this season. Barcelona Star Lionel Messi Will Continue at the Club Believes Presidential Candidate Joan Laporta.

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‘The rest of the season, he cannot rest’ said Ronaldo Koeman when asked about the reason for not involving Lionel Messi as the Dutch manager looks to give his star player some deserved rest. With Barcelona’s progress in knockout rounds already confirmed, Koeman might look to give youngsters a chance in this game.

Marc Andre Ter Stegen and Philippe Coutinho, who recently returned from respective injuries, have also been given some deserved time off. The duo did not take part in the team training session on Monday after playing the full game on the weekend. Clement Lenglet, who went off injured on the weekend has been included in the squad.

Barcelona have won four consecutive games in the Champions League and currently occupy the top spot in Group G. The Catalan could confirm the top spot in the group with a win and if Juventus drop points in their clash against Dynamo Kyiv. The Blaugranas face the Italian giants in the final game a week later.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 01, 2020 07:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).