Barcelona suffer Messi injury scare

Posted Thursday, August 22, 2013 by Goal.com

The Blaugrana's talisman could miss his side's upcoming games after being replaced at half-time on Wednesday night

Barcelona face an anxious wait to determine the severity of Lionel Messi's hamstring injury after he was forced to come off at the end of the first half in the 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid.

A first Blaugrana goal for Neymar cancelled out David Villa's opener for Atleti in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup on Wednesday, but Messi's withdrawal at the break marred the visitors' spirited fightback.

"Messi has been replaced as a precaution following some discomfort in the back of the left thigh," read a Tweet on the club's official Twitter stream during the game.

The Argentina international will now undergo further tests on Thursday which will reveal the full extent of his problem, with supporters no doubt hoping he hasn't suffered the same problem that kept him out of the end of last season.

Messi sustained a hamstring injury in the first-leg of Barcelona's Champions League quarter-final clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

He then appeared as a substitute in the second leg to inspire Barca to victory, but the 26-year-old only aggravated the injury further and sat out the final three games of the campaign with the Liga title already secured.