Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde shocked many when he revealed that tests will be conducted to better understand Lionel Messi’s condition following a nasty clash with Chris Smalling.
Mid-way into the first-half of Barcelona’s first leg against Manchester United in their Champions League quarter-final tie, Messi was left with a bloodied nose and eye after a brutal clash with Smalling.
The United defender’s shoulder crashed into Messi’s face during the clash, which left the Barcelona captain requiring medical attention as blood fell from both his nose and left eye.
Now Valverde admits it could prove to be a problem for Barcelona after confirming that Messi suffered “a significant bruise” afterwards.
“Messi wasn’t so comfortable after the blow,” said Valverde, according to Marca.
“We have to examine him tomorrow to see how he is. He was strong, but he has quite a significant bruise.”
On the other hand, Barcelona took home a critical advantage in their quarter-final tie after Luke Shaw’s 12th-minute own goal earned them a 1-0 first leg win.
The goal occurred when Luis Suarez’s header from the far post deflected into the net off Shaw to earn Barcelona their first-ever victory at Old Trafford, despite the effort initially being ruled out for offside.
But a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) analysis saw the match officials retract their initial decision.
However, it wasn’t Barcelona’s finest night in Europe with even the players celebrating very little at the final whistle.
“When you see the atmosphere here and the team they have and it being the Champions League, it’s hard to win here,” said Valverde.
“It was a difficult game and complicated at times, but we had the clearest chances.”
Suarez thought he scored a Champions League goal for the first time since last season’s 4-1 quarter-final win over AS Roma only for the referee to declare that Shaw had put inside his own net.
“They’ll keep asking me about Suarez then,” added Valverde.
“The value of what he does doesn’t depend on whether or not he scores, but what he generates.”