Messi stands up Barça medical team

Sources at Barcelona say Leo Messi will undergo an MRI scan on Tuesday in order to determine the extent of his right leg hamstring injury. The club's medical team are not too optimistic and it is very likely Messi will miss the team's three remaining league matches.

According to Catalan TV channel, 'TV3', on Monday morning, Messi decided of his own accord not to visit the Creu Blanca clinic, where he had been scheduled to undergo different medical tests. It was stressed that what defines the severity of an injury is an MRI scan and not an ultrasound. Other Catalan media sources claim that the player had undergone an ultrasound at the club's Sant Joan Despí training complex, but this has not been confirmed by Barcelona.

At the Vicente Calderón on Sunday, Messi picked up an injury in the same spot where he had sustained damage previously – which conditioned the Barça star's Champions League quarter- and semi-finals. One player who also had an appointment with the club's medical services was Eric Abidal - who did go to the clinic - after the defender had picked up a muscle injury in his left leg in Barcelona's training session on Saturday.