Barcelona waiting on Messi's fitness

Tue Nov 24 2009 11:08:30

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has said his team can beat Inter Milan in the Champions League with or without Lionel Messi.

Guardiola said doctors will have the final say on Messi after he suffered an injury to his adductor muscle during the 1-1 La Liga draw at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

"Messi is the best player in the world and any team in the world, if they lack the best player in the world, would lose something," he said.

"But we are not not going to complain and say how awful, we can't win the match anymore."

Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic also missed the Bilbao game with a thigh strain, while Eric Abidal and Yaya Toure were laid low with the HIN1 virus.

The mounting injury list comes at a bad time for the European champions, who know a defeat to Inter combined with a win for Rubin Kazan could put them out of the competition.

Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho said that he rated Barca as the best team in Europe, but Inter Milan were not afraid of that title.

"They are the best team in Europe, not because they're the European champions but because they have demonstrated it during the last fifteen to sixteen months. I don't get the impression they are afraid of us in the same way that we are not afraid of them," Mourinho said.

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