Ernesto Valverde 'unsure' on Lionel Messi involvement

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has refused to confirm or deny suggestions that Lionel Messi will be rested for Saturday's La Liga clash against Leganes.

Messi is currently struggling to overcome the hamstring problem that forced him to miss both of Argentina's matches during the recent international break.

The 30-year-old started on the bench against Sevilla in the league last weekend, but played the full 90 minutes of Wednesday's 4-1 win over Roma in the Champions League.

Valverde had reportedly already decided that Messi would be on the bench against Leganes, but the Spaniard has said that the attacker could still make the starting XI.

"We'll see. He played the other day [against Roma], and against Sevilla he was rested for part of the game," Valverde told reporters. "He has had a few problems and didn't play with the national team. He's a player who wants to be active because he's the best, but we have to talk after training."

Barcelona will travel to Roma for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final next week.