BREAKING NEWS: Messi fit to face Malaga

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has confirmed Lionel Messi is fit to face Malaga after recovering from a hamstring injury.

The Argentina forward missed Barca's 2-1 Copa del Rey win over Athletic Bilbao in midweek having been taken off at half-time in their 6-0 league win over the same opposition last weekend.

But he is in line to feature at La Rosaleda as Barca aim to keep pace with Liga leaders Atletico Madrid, who they trail by two points.

Defender Jeremy Mathieu is also in contention to play having been unavailable for the pair of games against Bilbao due to a calf problem.

Speaking in his pre-match media conference, Luis Enrique said: "Messi and Mathieu have recovered. In principle, there won't be any problem for them to play."

Messi has been hampered by injuries this campaign having missed much of the first half of the season because of a knee injury.

He was also absent for the semi-final of the FIFA Club World Cup with renal colic but returned to score in the 3-0 win over River Plate in the final.

The 28-year-old has netted 19 goals in 23 appearances in all competitions this term.