UEFA Champions League: Barcelona won't have Lionel Messi's services against Inter Milan

Lionel Messi will be rested for Barcelona's UEFA Champions League match against Inter Milan, due on Tuesday night. Although the Catalans have made it to the knockout stage of the tournament, the defending La Liga champions will miss the Argentine's presence.

While speaking to the journalists, Barca manager Ernesto Valverde insisted that his team should aim to win and this won't be the first time that they will play without the Argentine in their squad. Therefore, he assured that there is nothing to worry about. Messi was unavailable during the start of the season as well, because of recurring injuries.

Valverde said, "Internal decisions will remain internal. These decisions are made by the coach based on what he believes is best. We are coming off the back of a number of games and, taking into account what we have coming up, we decided he couldn't come. When there is no Messi, there are still 11 players. For us, he is decisive, but it isn't the first time he is missing. Our goal is to maintain our competitiveness and style of play. "

While Barca is set to finish on top of Group F, Inter is yet to qualify for the next round. The Italian side is on seven points. They stand level with Borussia Dortmund, who are to host Slavia Prague. If Inter loses and Dortmund draws, the latter will move forward as the second team in the group. If both the teams finish on the same points, Inter will qualify based on their head-to-head goal difference.

While the six-time Ballon d'Or winner will remain absent on the field tonight, Barca fans will taste how it feels to compete against top European teams without Messi in their team. Last week, he admitted that his retirement is approaching.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu expressed his worries about his club's performance once Messi retires. He spoke to the football world, asking them to enjoy every moment of Messi's remaining career.

The Argentine forward will turn 33 in June next year. As a result, frequent questions about his longevity have started to arise. In terms of performance, he is still ahead of anyone on the field. But age can be tricky and he has already been suffering more injuries than before. Football fans are worried that the end of a football phenomenon might come sooner than expected.