Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu is confident Lionel Messi will return in time for the Clasico against Real Madrid on November 21.
The Argentine has missed the past six weeks with an MCL tear, leading to contrasting reports on whether the player will be available for the Santiago Bernabeu showdown, but the patron is of the opinion his club will be able to call on their talisman.
“I hope [Messi] can play [in the Clasico],” he told reporters at an award ceremony, which saw Gerard Pique crowned the best Catalan player of the past year.
“His recovery is within the timeframe we had set ourselves, but we’ll try to beat our strongest rival [with or without him].
“[On the international break], I hope that all our players represent their countries without injury and with great strength.”
