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Zanetti hopes Messi doesn't start for Barcelona in the Champions League

Lionel Messi could make his return from a fractured arm against Inter Milan, but vice-president Javier Zanetti hopes the Argentine superstar is on the bench for the Champions League clash.

Barcelona captain Messi missed his team's 2-0 defeat of Inter two weeks ago, with Rafinha deputising and scoring against his old club in the Group B meeting.

Messi has travelled to Milan with the Barca squad but head coach Ernesto Valverde indicated he will not take any risks with his talisman.

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And Zanetti, who played with Messi for Argentina, has his fingers crossed Barca opt to give the superstar more time to recover from the broken arm he sustained against Sevilla two weeks ago.