We hope he can recover- Ernesto Valverde on Leo Messi's injury

Messi was the architect of Barcelona's comeback against Valencia.

Barcelona's lucky-charm Lionel Messi might be forced to miss a few games after facing some injury issues during the game against Valencia. Blaugrana head coach Ernesto Valverde says that things would be clear only after the reports are out and that he is hopeful of Messi recovering well on time.

Blaugrana were forced to field their first side in the second leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-final against Seville, and the 6-1 victory over the Sevillistas needed a lot of physicality from the FC Barcelona players.

Resultant, players like Gerard Pique, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi felt the heat against Valencia from the start of the game itself. And the 2-0 lead of Los Che had the task cut out for the Blaugrana.

Valverde's men did manage to get a point out of the game, thanks to a brace from Lionel Messi, but the Argentine superstar looked to struggle in the second half, silencing the Camp Nou supporters.

Lionel Messi has been in sensational form in LaLiga for Barcelona, scoring in eight successive games for them. He also became the first player to score 20 league goals this season after his brace against Valencia.

Barcelona have a tough schedule ahead, with them having to face eternal rivals Real Madrid thrice this month. They also have the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 fixtures against Lyon.

Valverde, however, is optimistic that the issue is just a small problem, and Messi would be fine soon.

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"We have to wait to do the tests to see how he is, like the other players," Valverde said. "I don't know too much more. We hope he can recover, just like the others."

Asked what the problem was, Valverde said: "I don't know, I would like to tell you more but I don't know exactly.

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"He had a little problem, as some of the others will have too. We will wait to see what the doctors tell us when they do the tests and we will look at it. I cannot guess anything, but we imagine that it can't be too bad."

Barcelona next plays Real Madrid on the 7th January at the Camp Nou in the first leg of Copa del Rey semi-final.