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Ernesto Valverde: Lionel Messi Faces Late Fitness Test Ahead of Athletic Bilbao

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde said Lionel Messi will have a late fitness test ahead of Sunday's trip to Athletic Bilbao.

Messi has been recovering from a thigh injury suffered at Valencia last weekend, and he was restricted to around 30 minutes as a substitute in Barca's 1-1 draw with Real Madrid on Wednesday.

Per Marca's Ramiro Aldunate, when asked about Messi's availability for Sunday, Valverde said:

"As always, we'll have to wait to see how training goes before we decide, but the other day we didn't want to risk things.