Lionel Messi’s Barcelona teammates will take on the rare challenge of coping without their talismanic World Player of the Year when the La Liga leaders host relegation-threatened Real Mallorca on Saturday.
Fullback Daniel Alves, who provided the exquisite pass that sent Messi clear to score on Tuesday, said the Argentine’s absence was a chance for other players in the squad to step up.
“The fact that we don’t have him is an incentive to prove to everyone that we have enough quality to compete without him and show that we can do it just as well as when he’s here,” Alves told a news conference on Wednesday.
