- Title: SOCCER-SPAIN/BARCELONA Neymar could return for Malaga clash - Luis Enrique
- Date: 28th August 2015
- Summary: BARCELONA, SPAIN (AUGUST 28, 2015) (REUTERS) BARCELONA PLAYERS ARRIVING AT TRAINING ARGENTINA FORWARD LIONEL MESSI, BRAZILIAN FORWARD NEYMAR AND URUGUAYAN STRIKER LUIS SUAREZ WALKING AND TALKING SUAREZ KICKING BALL DURING TRAINING MESSI FALLING OVER AND LAUGHING DURING TRAINING BARCELONA CAPTAIN ANDRES INIESTA DURING TRAINING DEFENDER GERARD PIQUE KICKING BALL DURING TRAINING SUAREZ TALKING AND LAUGHING DURING TRAINING VARIOUS OF BARCELONA HEAD COACH LUIS ENRIQUE ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BARCELONA COACH, LUIS ENRIQUE, TALKING ABOUT BRAZILIAN FORWARD NEYMAR, SAYING: "I saw him (train) very well. Almost recovered, if not fully recovered. It's a normal situation for a player who has been away for two weeks. But he trained very well, he was very good, and now we shall see." NEYMAR RUNNING DURING TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BARCELONA COACH, LUIS ENRIQUE, ON UPCOMING MATCH AGAINST MALAGA, SAYING: "A very difficult game for us. And I'm especially happy that it is the first home game. Let's see if we are able to overcome the difficulties we faced in the past season, and that for sure we will face tomorrow. It's an attractive challenge for us." LUIS ENRIQUE LOOKING ON DURING TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BARCELONA COACH, LUIS ENRIQUE, ON CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW, SAYING: "It's a difficult group, no doubt about that. Roma was one of the... let's say the strongest of the third group (pot of seeded teams). We saw Leverkusen last year, and they almost eliminated Atletico Madrid. And a German team always presents difficulties. I don't know where the simplicity is. Now that we are in the Champions and that we are going to try to do what nobody else has done, which is to win twice in a row, in the modern era. But let's not exaggerate. I like it because I think that they are teams that will attract people to the stadiums, to the Camp Nou. How we start and how we end, I don't know where the simplicity (in the Champions League) is." MESSI TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BARCELONA COACH, LUIS ENRIQUE, TALKING ABOUT COMPARISON BETWEEN FORWARD LIONEL MESSI AND SPRINTER USAIN BOLT, SAYING: "It could be a good comparison. The best sprinter of all time, Usain Bolt, without doubt from his records, and, for me, the best player of all time, Lionel Messi, without doubt." LUIS ENRIQUE LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 12th September 2015 13:00
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- Location: Spain
- Country: Spain
- Topics: General
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- Story Text: Barcelona's Brazil forward Neymar could play a part in Saturday's La Liga match at home to Malaga after completing his recovery from illness, coach Luis Enrique said on Friday (August 28).
The Brazil forward has been suffering from mumps, depriving Barca of one-third of their lethal attack that includes fellow South Americans Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi.
The trio scored a Spanish record 122 goals in all competitions last term as Barca swept to a treble of Champions League, La Liga and King's Cup titles.
Neymar missed this month's European and Spanish Super Cups, as well as last weekend's 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao in their opening match of the campaign but could return to face Malaga at the Nou Camp, Luis Enrique told a news conference.
"I saw him (train) very well. Almost recovered, if not fully recovered. It's a normal situation for a player who has been away for two weeks. But he trained very well, he was very good, and now we shall see," he said.
Qatar-owned Malaga managed to hold Barca to a 0-0 draw at the Rosaleda last term and surprised the Spanish and European champions by beating them 1-0 at the Nou Camp, one of only two La Liga defeats there all season.
However, they have sold some of their best performers during the close season and are not expected to mount the same kind of challenge this time around.
Despite this, Luis Enrique is wary of the threat posed by Malaga following their success at the Nou Camp last season.
"A very difficult game for us. And I'm especially happy that it is the first home game," said the Barcelona boss.
"Let's see if we are able to overcome the difficulties we faced in the past season, and that for sure we will face tomorrow. It's an attractive challenge for us."
Barcelona can expect a tough start to their defence of their Champions League title, after being drawn alongside Bayer Leverkusen, Roma and BATE Borisov in this year's group stage.
Luis Enrique says he is pleased to be drawn alongside teams such as Roma and Leverkusen as they will provide a good challenge for his team, and the matches should entertain the crowd at the Nou Camp.
"It's a difficult group, no doubt about that. Roma was one of the... let's say the strongest of the third group (pot of seeded teams). We saw Leverkusen last year, and they almost eliminated Atletico Madrid. And a German team always presents difficulties. I don't know where the simplicity is," said Luis Enrique.
"Now that we are in the Champions and that we are going to try to do what nobody else has done, which is to win twice in a row, in the modern era. But let's not exaggerate. I like it because I think that they are teams that will attract people to the stadiums, to the Camp Nou. How we start and how we end, I don't know where the simplicity (in the Champions League) is," he added.
Barcelona, who have won the competition four times in the last ten years, are looking to become the first team to defend their Champions League title since AC Milan won back-to-back trophies in the late 1980s, when the competition was called the European Cup.
Luis Enrique also compared star striker Messi, widely regarded by many, including Luis Enrique, as the best player in the world, with Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.
Bolt, who won gold in both the 100 metres and 200 metres at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing this week, has won eight World Championship golds, as well as holding the world record in both events.
"It could be a good comparison. The best sprinter of all time, Usain Bolt, without doubt from his records, and, for me, the best player of all time, Lionel Messi, without doubt," said Luis Enrique. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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