Luis Enrique plays down Lionel Messi concerns

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has insisted that Lionel Messi "is in perfect condition" to face Sporting Gijon this weekend.

It had been claimed that the Argentine could miss Barcelona's La Liga clash against Sporting on Saturday after picking up a knock in Wednesday's 8-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna.

However, Enrique has confirmed that the Argentine trained on both Thursday and Friday and will therefore take to the field at Camp Nou on Saturday night.

"Messi is in perfect condition. He took a knock against Depor. He trained well and is ready for Saturday," Enrique told reporters.

Barcelona remain top of the La Liga table with four games left, but they only lead Atletico Madrid on the head-to-head record.