Barca wait on Messi for Super Cup decider

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Barcelona will give Lionel Messi every opportunity to prove his fitness ahead of their second-leg of the Spanish Super Cup against Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou on Wednesday night.

Messi was taken off at half-time during last week's 1-1 draw in the first-leg with a thigh injury and missed the Catalans' 1-0 win away to Malaga on Sunday which moved them back to the top of La Liga.

However, the Argentine took a full part in training on Monday with those who hadn't been involved in the Malaga game as the majority of his colleagues underwent a recovery session.

"We have two days to make a decision, but with the information that I have today we are very happy with how he is recovering," Barca boss Gerardo Martino told reporters after Sunday's game.

However, Martino indicated that Neymar could once miss out from the start despite shining in cameo appearances as a substitute in Barca's last two games.

The Brazilian scored his first Barca goal to rescue a draw for Martino's men in the first-leg and again looked like the visitors most dangerous outlet when he replaced Pedro with half an hour to go at La Rosaleda at the weekend.

"Neymar is improving all the time, you can already see the difference in him between the the last two matches and the first one against Levante.

"I don't know when exactly we will start him but you can see mentally he is ready and we will do it at the most opportune time."

Even if Messi and Neymar don't start, Martino will make a couple of changes to the side that started against Malaga as Sergio Busquets and Dani Alves will return after being rested in place of Alex Song and Adriano, who is also struggling with a hamstring injury.

Despite the fact that Barca have set the early pace in La Liga, Atleti's start to the season has been arguably even more impressive as they followed up a 3-1 success at Sevilla on the opening weekend of the season with a 5-0 thrashing of Rayo Vallecano on Sunday to move into second.

Manager Diego Simeone has repeatedly downplayed hs side's chances of competing with Barca and Real Madrid for the title this season, but believes their record of winning three trophies in little over a year shows they have what it takes to go the Camp Nou and lift the club's first Super Cup since 1985.

"The tie is still alive and we now have a big game at their place," he said.

"I still think the league can only be won by two teams, there are so many games it is almost impossible, but we are talking about a tie over two games and we have shown we can compete in finals."

Simeone is expected to name the same side that started in the first-leg with former Barca favourite David Villa and the on-form Diego Costa entrusted with the task of exploiting a Barca defence that has looked far from solid in the opening week of the season despite keeping two clean sheets in three games.

Barca claim Super Cup on away goals after stalemate

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Barcelona lifted the first silverware of the Spanish season on away goals after a 0-0 draw with Atletico Madrid in the second-leg of the Spanish Super Cup on Wednesday night.

Following the 1-1 draw in the first-leg, the Catalans were left to thank goalkeeper Victor Valdes for preserving their advantage as he pulled off incredible saves from Arda Turan and David Villa either side of half-time.

Barca should have then sealed victory on the night themselves as after Filipe Luis was sent off for Atleti, Lionel Messi fired a late penalty off the bar.

"Victor has always had this characteristic which makes a goalkeeper for a big team," Barca boss Gerardo Martino told a press conference afterwards.

"They had two shots on goal and he made the saves."

Martino had handed a first start to Neymar as the Brazilian and Lionel Messi lined up for the first time in a competitive match since the former's switch from Santos.

And he admitted that the South American duo have plenty to work on as a partnership.

"Separately they have played quite well. It is true that they didn't combine a lot and they didn't find each other.

"Neymar was a bit closed off on the wing and when Leo came deep he drifted to the other side. Sometimes they were too far apart to combine but they will manage to do so with time."

Having weathered an early Barca early storm though, Atleti started to gain a foothold and had the two best openings of the opening period.

Firstly Koke failed to connect properly when he was teed up at the edge of the box allowing Valdes to save easily before the Barca keeper made a stunning save to turn behind Arda's sweetly struck volley.

Valdes was called upon again after the break as he parried Villa's curling effort from the edge of the area as Atleti went in search of the away goal they needed to stay alive in the tie.

And Atleti boss Diego Simeone was left to rue his side's wasted opportunities.

"The match was how I imagined it on both sides," he said.

"They played as they have for many years and we continue to grow, with pride and knowing we can play.

"We had more chances but we couldn't take them."

The more the visitors pushed forward though, the more they were susceptible to the Barca counter-attack and the Catalans passed up a host of opportunities to put the tie to bed.

Neymar was the biggest culprit as he squared when he ought to have gone for goal himself at the back post from Dani Alves' cross midway through the second-half.

Atleti were then reduced to 10 men when Luis saw a straight red card after he clashed with Alves off the ball on 80 minutes.

And Simeone's men were further infuriated by referee David Fernandez Borbalan when he adjudged that Pedro had been felled by a combination of Juanfran and Miranda two minutes from time.

Messi smashed the resultant spot-kick off the bar to ensure the game finished goalless.

However, it mattered little as the hosts comfortably saw out the final few minutes to claim their fourth Super Cup in the past five years.