Official: Messi misses training, will not play game against Eibar

Reasons to watch the final match against Eibar were already slim for Barcelona fans, but they have taken a huge hit after it has been officially announced by the club that Lionel Messi will not play tomorrow after taking the coach’s permission. He also missed today’s training session, ahead of the encounter.

There are a lot of expected changes in the team tomorrow, with Pedri already announced to have started his vacation. Clement Lenglet picked up a red card and is suspended, while Sergi Roberto is injured. This could force Koeman to deploy Riqui Puig, Ilaix Moriba, or if push comes to shove, even Alex Collado, in the middle of the park.

That said, this game against Eibar is pretty much inconsequential for Barcelona. As little as one point will guarantee a third-place finish for Barça, owing to their better head-to-head record against Sevilla. On the other hand, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid will fight it out for the title against Villarreal and Real Valladolid respectively. It could come down to a 2012 Sergio Aguero-esque finish for either club in the capital.

It has been far from an ideal season, and now that he is not playing on matchday 38, the loss against Celta Vigo could turn out to be the last game Messi ever plays wearing the Barcelona crest.