Iniesta and Messi back in Barcelona squad to face Chelsea

Ben Spratt

Iniesta and Messi back in Barcelona squad to face Chelsea image

Andres Iniesta has been included in Barcelona's squad to face Chelsea in the Champions League, with star man Lionel Messi also recalled.

World Cup winner Iniesta had been struggling to recover from a hamstring injury in time to face the Blues in the last-16 second leg, with coach Ernesto Valverde conceding playing the veteran midfielder would be a risk.

But he has decided to include Iniesta in the group for Wednesday's match, where the 33-year-old could feature for the first time since suffering his ailment against Atletico Madrid in La Liga on March 4.

Messi was also missing for the weekend win over Malaga as his wife gave birth to their third child Ciro, but he was expected back and also returns.

The pair combined for Messi to score an equaliser at Stamford Bridge in the first leg as Barca held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw, after Willian had opened the scoring for the hosts.

Ben Spratt