Lionel Scaloni

Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has confirmed he opted to leave Lionel Messi on the bench for their 5-2 La Liga win over Real Betis as a precaution. Messi started as a substitute at the Camp Nou after reports of a minor injury picked up in the 2-1 midweek Champions League win over Dynamo Kyiv. Koeman brought the Argentinian international on as a second half substitute against Manuel Pellegrini’s side with the 33-year old playing a vital role in their first win for a month. Messi’s dummy created a perfect chance for Antoine Griezmann to make it 2-1 to the hosts before he netted twice himself in the final half hour. “Since yesterday we talked and he had some discomfort from the game against Dynamo Kyiv,” Koeman told a post game interview with Marca. “We decided it was best to leave him on the b...