Is Lionel Messi playing tonight vs Eibar? Barcelona team news for LaLiga fixture

Following an embarrassing start to their LaLiga campaign, Spanish giants Barcelona have appeared to regain lost ground in the competition. Ronald Koeman's men have been prolific in the past few games, more so since the Champions League defeat against Juventus at the Camp Nou. Similarly, club icon Lionel Messi is back in form after a slow start to the LaLiga season. As Barcelona prepare for Tuesday's clash against Eibar, the Argentine's absence during the team's training has raised injury concerns. 

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Is Lionel Messi playing tonight? Lionel Messi injury update 

After a short break from football during Christmas, FC Barcelona first team players returned to training on Sunday. However, Lionel Messi was not seen during the session, much to the disappointment of the Blaugrana faithful. Messi's absence from the training session has now drawn injury talks among LaLiga viewers and FC Barcelona fans. 

Following the training session, Barcelona released a statement providing an update on Lionel Messi's status. The club's statement confirmed that the six-time Ballon d'Or winner could not participate in the training on Sunday. It went on to reveal that the player has sustained an injury to his right ankle. 

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Is Lionel Messi playing tonight? When is Lionel Messi coming back? 

Barcelona's statement also provided a stipulated Lionel Messi return timeline. The Lionel Messi injury update, as provided by the club, stated that the player will return to training under Koeman after the clash against Eibar on Tuesday. However, it is still unclear if he will be fit in time to play Huesca on Sunday. 

Messi's importance for the Camp Nou outfit could be comprehended from the fact that his initial struggle had a detrimental impact on the team in their LaLiga campaign. Barcelona were languishing on the eighth spot for quite a long time but have now regained their fine form ever since the defeat against Juventus.

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Barcelona team news ahead of Eibar clash  

Apart from the six-time Ballon d'Or winner, the Dutch tactician will have to cope in the absence of Ansu Fati, who is recovering from a meniscus injury. Besides, the likes of Gerard Pique and Sergi Roberto are also set to sit out on the sidelines when Barcelona take on Eibar. Defender Jordi Alba remains suspended.

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Image courtesy: Barcelona Twitter