Fears were the Barca ace would miss the trip to the Bernabeu on November 21. The Blaugrana have received a positive update, however.

La Liga giants Barcelona have received a huge boost in the form of an injury update to their talisman Argentine Lionel Messi.

The 28-year-old Blaugrana superstar injured himself in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Las Palmas at Camp Nou, with the club later announcing that the four-time Ballon d’Or winner tore the internal collateral ligament of his left knee.

Initial prognosis was that Messi would miss up to eight weeks of action, meaning the Albiceleste skipper would not be fit in time for the Catalan giants’ all-important trip to Real Madrid in the first of two El Clasico fixtures this season.

However, a later update hints that Messi will only spend 7 weeks on the sidelines, meaning he could be in contention to make the squad for the Santiago Bernabeu tie.

This is according to Sport, with Albert Masnou and Javier Miguel reporting: "The Argentine player received good news on his first day back in training at the Ciutat Esportiva de Sant Joan Despi, where he was accompanied by Luis Suarez. The doctors told him the duration of his recovery would be closer to seven weeks than eight, so he will be ready for the November 21 Clasico."

Lionel Messi, Barcelona, Las Palmas, La Liga

It remains under question whether Messi, despite his undeniable talent, will be able to come from a long lay-off and directly impact a game of such caliber, but the news comes as a huge boost to the club nonetheless.

Leo holds the record for most goals in clashes between Barcelona and Real Madrid, with 21 goals, and has the most assists in El Clasico history, with 13.

Despite enduring a goalless run in Barcelona's first two games of the season, it took Messi little time to rediscover his goalscoring form, and now has 3 goals to his name in La Liga.