Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 8y

Neymar involvement in Copa or Olympics still undecided - Luis Enrique

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique says no decision has yet been made on whether Neymar will play for Brazil at either the Copa America or Olympic Games this summer.

Brazil are facing a busy summer, with the Copa America Centenario running from June 3 to June 26 and the Olympic Games' football tournament running from Aug. 3 to Aug. 20.

Luis Enrique, who also counts Brazil internationals Rafinha and Dani Alves among his squad, played down the issue at his news conference ahead of Saturday afternoon's La Liga game at home to Getafe and said it would be addressed later.

"I am not worried about [the summer], just about the next game," the Barca boss said. "I will talk to Dunga about what to do, not just with Neymar but also with Rafinha and Dani Alves."

Neymar has expressed a willingness to play in both tournaments, but Barca are not obliged to release players for the Olympics, where only three players above the age of 23 can play in each squad.

Brazil boss Dunga has said that he would prefer Neymar to play at the Olympics, which take place on home soil, than the Copa America in the United States if he is forced to choose between the two.

Argentina star Lionel Messi has already said he will play at the Copa America instead of the Olympics, having already claimed a gold medal in 2008, which may bolster Neymar's hopes of playing at the tournament in Brazil.

Luis Enrique continued: "We will talk about it, with dialogue, as we all want the best for our players."

Neymar will be available for Barca's game against Getafe, having arrived back in Catalonia after attending his sister's birthday party and also doing some high-profile charity work in Brazil last week. 

Luis Enrique said he had personally given Neymar permission to make the trip as he was ineligible for Sunday's 4-0 win over Eibar.

"He was suspended for the game, he asked for permission," Luis Enrique said. "I agreed as he had played a lot of minutes. That is what I am here for as coach."

The Barca boss says he has confident that the team's physical preparation will stand the team in good stead as they chase down what would be a historic second successive Treble.

Barca go into the Getafe game eight points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid at the top of the table, with Real Madrid a further four points behind. They are also looking for a 12th straight league win, and to stretch their unbeaten run to 37 matches unbeaten in all competitions.

With the club also through to the Copa del Rey final, and with a 2-0 advantage ahead of Wednesday's Champions League round-of-16 second leg at home to Arsenal, they are on course to repeat last season's successes in all three competitions.

Asked if he had any concerns that Barca may have peaked too soon this season, the former Celta Vigo and Roma boss told reporters: "As a coach my teams have always finished the season better than they started.

"That has to do with physical preparation, as well as many other things. I have the same sensation as last year -- the previous year in Vigo, and all through my career. I feel we can continue on this line or better.

"We are where we want to be and now the most important, the most difficult, is still to come. Nobody gifts you the points, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid are still our rivals. We know it will not be easy. We just go out to win the points we can."

Luis Enrique pointed to the situation in the Bundesliga, where Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich had recently threatened to open up an 11-point lead but then travelled to Borussia Dortmund knowing a defeat would have cut their advantage to only two points.

He acknowledged that Barca "have a good advantage" but added: "We have seen Bayern had a great advantage all season, but last weekend Dortmund could have got to within two points.

"We have earned this advantage, by being very consistent over the season, but we still need to finish the job and win the title."

Luis Enrique was also asked about the situation in the Premier League where Leicester City, who narrowly avoided relegation last season, are five points clear at the top of the table, while Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea could all miss out on a place in the top four.

He said there was little prospect of a similar scenario in Spain, where Barca, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have been the only domestic champions since Valencia's 2003-04 success.

"The Premier League has the highest TV revenues," he said. "It is difficult to see it happening here, the three big teams, and I include Atletico Madrid, having a bad year. There are years when other teams join in, it can happen, but this year in Premier is an outlier, it is so open. The most powerful teams are not those fighting for the title. I doubt it could happen here."

Barcelona also announced on Friday that forward Sandro Ramirez will miss up to seven weeks with a hamstring injury he suffered in training.

Sandro has not played in La Liga since December, with his only recent appearances coming in the Copa del Rey.

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