The world of football is still waiting for confirmation on Messi's availability for the first of three Clásicos this month. The Argentine ace is still being taken care of after picking up a thigh injury during Saturday's game against Valencia, and even if his prospects of playing against Los Blancos are good, all muscular injuries have to be taken seriously.
With that in mind, we decided to look into those games in which Barcelona has been forced to play against their bitter rival without their biggest star. Surprisingly, Messi has only been left out of three Clásicos since he became a regular starter for Los Blaugranas, and the Catalan team does not seem to have missed him that much when he is not on the pitch.
The first one of those games took place in the 2005-06 season. Barcelona faced Real Madrid with a massive lead in La Liga's standings, and things did not change that much after that game. Ronaldinho gave Barcelona the lead, but Ronaldo made things even before the break. Final score: Barcelona 1-1 Real Madrid.
The second clash in which Messi was not on the pitch tool place in the 2007-08 campaign. Real Madrid would go on to beat Los Blaugranas in front of their supporters thanks to a lonely goal by Julio Baptista. Los Blancos would go on to win the title that year. Final score: Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid.
The third Clásico without Messi took place this season. Barcelona destroyed Real Madrid's shaky defense and handed Los Blancos one of the toughest losses in years thanks to a scintillating performance by Luis Suárez, who scored a hat-trick. That was the last game in which Julen Lopetegui coached Real Madrid. Final score: Barcelona 5-1 Real Madrid.
So, there you have it. A win, a draw and a loss for Barcelona when their star man is not around. Will he end up missing the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, or will he lead the team's efforts into reaching a sixth straight final in this competition?
