On Wednesday night, Juventus and Barcelona played to a goalless draw at the Allianz Stadium in their penultimate game of the group stage, for which, surprisingly, Lionel Messi was benched. Did you see the fans' reactions?
When the official line-ups were released, it came as a major shock for many to see one of the world's greatest players benched, but, upon closer reflection, the explanation was simple….
???? XI Barça#JuveBarça pic.twitter.com/BhLdAExqkO
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 22, 2017
Manager Ernesto Valverde wanted to keep Messi fresh!
The Catalans needed just one point to secure qualification to the Last 16 of the tournament, and with a big La Liga game against second-placed Valencia coming up this weekend, there really was no need for Messi to feature in the encounter.
Messi looked like he needed a rest at the weekend. Good decision by Valverde.
— Ben Hayward (@bghayward) November 22, 2017
Have to assume Valverde is going for the draw (which is enough for Barcelona to top the group) and have a fresh Messi to face Valencia. Had his worst performance of the season against Leganes, so maybe not a bad idea...
— Rik Sharma (@riksharma_) November 22, 2017
I feel for Valencia though, they'll be facing a rested Messi on Sunday. Scary.
— TalkFCB © (@talkfcb_) November 22, 2017
No Messi against Juve. Quite honestly, Buffon had suffered enough... #JuveFCB
— Ben Hayward (@bghayward) November 22, 2017
Gianluigi Buffon wasn't in goals for Juventus during their defeat to Sampdoria on the weekend as he was granted time to recover from the heartbreak of Italy's failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, but managed to turn out against Barcelona.
Ahead of the game, Ivan Rakitic revealed he felt sorry for Buffon and Italy, and admitted he would have gladly given up his World Cup spot to see the 39-year-old feature in a sixth straight World Cup.
Unsurprisingly, "Gigi" caught wind of the comment, and he responded brilliantly to the Croatian's kind gesture.
Check it out!
Dear @ivanrakitic , as a goalkeeper I might still play but playing for Croatia as a midfielder in your place might not be a great idea: I am saying it for your good sake.?? Joking apart, your words have been a great gift. Thanks to you and @JordiAlba: my jersey is waiting for you
— Gianluigi Buffon (@gianluigibuffon) November 21, 2017
Do you think it was a smart decision to bench Messi?
