Vincenzo Montella hoping for Lionel Messi absence

Sevilla boss Vincenzo Montella has revealed that he is hopeful Lionel Messi will not be in the Barcelona team for their La Liga clash at the Estadio Ramon this weekend.

Messi missed Argentina's two matches during the recent international break with a hamstring problem, and it has been suggested that the attacker could sit out Saturday's clash despite training on Thursday.

Montella has branded Messi "an incredible player", and the Sevilla head coach hopes that the 30-year-old does not feature when Barcelona make the trip to Seville.

"We hope Messi does not play and that Barcelona rest him for the Champions League, but it would not surprise me if he does play," Montella told reporters. "He is an incredible player and even though we are at rival clubs, it is fantastic to watch him play as he has so many fantastic qualities."

Messi has scored 25 times and registered 12 assists in 28 La Liga matches for Barcelona this season.