Barcelona fans might not have to be so worried about Lionel Messi's availability after all.

Good news for Barcelona fans, but not so good for La Liga defenders.

After suffering a groin injury in the Blaugrana's slim win over Villarreal, Lionel Messi was unable to feature with Argentina during their friendlies this week as he looks to recover as quickly as possible.

The Catalan giants endured a miserable time last term by their lofty standards, which saw them fail to win any silverware save for the Spanish Super Cup. Hence, they will be looking to quickly put that behind them with the intent to knock reigning league champions Atletico Madrid off their perch.

And their talismanic no. 10's injury progress update will certainly ease their worries. As per the club's  website:

"The Argentina national team doctor, Daniel Martínez, and others from the FCB Medical Services have evaluated the groin strain sustained by Leo Messi during last weekend’s league fixture away to Villarreal."

But, more important and encouraging for Blaugrana head coach Luis Enrique:

"Both parties agreed that there have been considerable improvements, and the player will continue doing specific recovery exercises until he is ready to resume normal training with the rest of his team-mates."

According to reports, the four-time Ballon d'Or winner could be back in action for his team's September 13th clash with Atletic Bilbao.