Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi is being tipped to make his eagerly awaited return from a groin injury when La Liga action resumes at the weekend after the conclusion of the international break.
Messi has been out of action for club and country since suffering the problem during last month's draw with title rivals Atletico Madrid - a period which has seen Barça lose early ground after a second defeat of the season, coming at the hands of Celta Vigo.
But a report from Mundo Deportivo has suggested that Messi is now in the final stages of his recovery and will be fit enough to take a place on the bench and play a few minutes against Deportivo La Coruna at Camp Nou on Saturday.
The club will likely have to be careful, though, as a result of an overly demanding schedule over the course of the next few weeks.
From 15th October when Deportivo visit, Messi could potentially be involved in as many as eight games for club and country by the same date in November, just a month later.
Barça face important clashes against Manchester City home and away in the Champions League, as well as domestic league fixtures against Valencia, the city derby against Espanyol, Granada and Sevilla.
The next international break will also see Argentina desperate to have Messi back in the fold for World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Colombia on 10th and 15th November respectively.
His involvement in those games suddenly became much more important after a recent 2-2 draw against Peru saw La Albiceleste lose ground in the South American table and fall out of the automatic qualifying places despite having sat top in September.
Ahead of this weekend, Barça continue to nurse several other injuries. Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba are both set to be out, while Ivan Rakitic is also a serious doubt. Samuel Umtiti is lacking fitness.
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