Barcelona have been boosted by the return of Sergio Busquets ahead of the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Roma on Wednesday.
Busquets trained with the first team on Monday after recovering from a broken bone in his foot, sustained against Chelsea in their last-16 clash three weeks ago.
Barcelona are looking to reach the last four of the Champions League for the first time in three years, after falling at the quarter-final stage both in 2016 and 2017.
Lionel Messi is fit again and expected to start after missing Argentina’s recent friendlies and coming off the bench on Saturday to rescue a point in a 2-2 draw with Sevilla.
“Messi is fine, he could start,” said Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde. “He is a unique player in history and the world of football.”
The last time Roma faced Barcelona was in the Champions League group stage in November 2015, with Barca registering a thumping 6-1 home win.
Roma reached the quarter-finals after beating Shakhtar Donetsk on away goals. They have won seven of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
Team News:
Messi and Busquets are set to be available for Barcelona but Philippe Coutinho is cup-tied as he has played in the competition for Liverpool.
Roma attacking midfielder Cengiz Under is out due to injury, but Radja Nainggolan has been included in the squad.
Under suffered a thigh injury on international duty with Turkey, while Nainggolan limped off during the first half of Roma’s 1-1 draw at Bologna on Saturday.
