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The young team’s forward Lionel Messi has been included in the application of the 22 players for the UEFA Champions League final match, despite being unable to play for more than two months due to injury.
The 18-year-old player was already training with his team on Monday, but it is still not clear whether the forward will be ready to take the field in Wednesday's match. As Barcelona representatives claim, whether Messi will play in the final will only be revealed on Tuesday, after the first Barcelona training session at the Stade de France stadium.
Messi suffered a thigh injury in the Champions League quarterfinals against London Chelsea. The Argentine had to undergo treatment for a torn muscle for more than two months. Also, this summer, in a match against Atletico, Messi suffered a leg injury, which kept him out of training for 10 days.
"The fact that Messi will be with us in Paris only strengthens our team further, although it is still not clear if he will be able to play," said Barcelona's Portuguese player Deco.
Deco, the only Barcelona player who has already won the UEFA Champions League with Porto in 2004, also denied rumors that his team is considered the favorite to win in the final.
"There can never be clear favorites in any final match, so we will have to fight with all our might to prove our superiority," Deco said. "We cannot claim that we are a better team even if that were the case, as that would not guarantee success in the final."
"Each team must respect their opponents and fight until the last minutes of the game, otherwise what happened to Milan last year may happen," cautiously evaluated the Portuguese player regarding his team's chances.
