Ernesto Valverde: 'No Lionel Messi risk'

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has insisted that he has not taken a risk by selecting Lionel Messi in his squad for Sunday's La Liga clash with Real Betis.

Messi has returned ahead of schedule from a forearm fracture and is expected to make his return for the Catalan giants in Sunday's fixture at Camp Nou.

Despite the injury occurring just three weeks ago, Valverde has said that there would be no risk to the Argentine if he were indeed selected to play against Betis.

"We'll find out tomorrow if I decide he can play 90 minutes or not. I think he's lost his fear of taking a fall and provoking further injury, that's out of his head. It does affect you mentally," Valverde told reporters.

"You can't be thinking 'I can't do some strange gesture that causes me pain'. I think he can play, he's pretty assured, I think he'll be okay."

Messi has missed Barcelona's last five matches against Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Cultural Leonesa and Rayo Vallecano.