Football
ESPN staff 8y

Lionel Messi missing for Barcelona could be key - Vallecano's Luis Farina

Lionel Messi's absence for Barcelona has given Rayo Vallecano hope of winning their upcoming La Liga clash, according to midfielder Luis Farina.

Messi, 28, is currently sidelined with a knee injury he sustained at the end of last month and is expected to keep him out for up to eight weeks.

Barca's last outing prior to the international break saw them suffer a second loss of the season as they were beaten 2-1 by Sevilla.

Farina is still expecting a tough test when Vallecano travel to the Camp Nou on Oct. 17, but he is hopeful that with Messi missing their chances of an upset are increased.

He told the club's official website, according to AS: "It's true that Messi makes a lot of difference and him not being there will definitely help, but we're playing them after the international break and after their defeat against Sevilla.

"It's hard to say if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but what we're clear about is that we're going to play for all three points.

"With the players they have it's always difficult, but we're going to play to win as we do in every game we play. Barcelona have more than enough quality despite the injuries.

"The international breaks are always welcome to keep working and build ourselves up because we have a big match coming up, a complicated one."

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