05.08.2010 09:43

Guardiola: “Messi will definitely play”

David Saura (special correspondent)

Pep Guardiola has guaranteed that Leo Messi will play some part in Sunday’s game against Beijing Gouan FC. The boss spoke to the press ahead of the game which has already created great excitement in the Chinese media.

According to Guardiola, “Messi will definitely play. I’ll talk with all the coaches and trainers before the game in order to evaluate his fitness”, Messi has so far taken part in just three training sessions since returning from his summer break and played for 15 minutes in Seoul , but Guardiola insisted: “he’ll play the maximum amount of time possible”.

Messi: “there was no issue”

Messi himself attempted to avoid any controversy concerning the decision to play him in Seoul: “for me there was no issue. The boss decided I should play and I played. I trained a little before the game and I was getting into the rhythm of things.

Guardiola also explained that he’d seen 2 or 3 videos of the Beijing Gouan team and “they are a very dynamic team. They are the current Chinese champions and it’ll be a good game to help us get into our stride for the start of the season”.

Waiting on Del Bosque

Guardiola claimed he will respect whatever decision Vicente Del Bosque makes as to which Barca players he calls up for the friendly with Mexico on August 11th, reminding the press: “the win in South Africa wasn’t just down to Barca players, they were important, but it was a triumph for the whole squad and the coach was also very important”.

Messi quizzed over Maradona and Cesc

Messi also gave his first public reactions to Maradona’s departure from the Argentine manager’s post: “I didn’t expect him to go. I thought he’d still be in the job”. The World Number One inevitably had to field questions about Cesc Fabregas too and told reporters: “Cesc is a great player and I’ve always said I love to play with great players”.