Barcelona have handed an early Christmas break to Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar and Gerard Pique and the quartet will not feature in the second leg of Blaugrana’s Copa del Rey round of-32 tie against Hercules.
Messi travelled to his homeland after the Catalan derby along with his brother Rodrigo in a private jet. Gerard Pique also took the flight across the Atlantic in order to spend his Christmas holidays in Columbia with his partner Shakira.
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However, Blaugrana manager Luis Enrique believes that the Catalan giants will see off the challenge of Hercules, who held Barca to a 1-1 draw in the first leg, without the services of the club’s formidable front three. “The front three have never played the first round of the cup and I believe it is necessary that they begin their vacations,” Enrique told reporters. “The rest of the squad is available for selection on Wednesday, before enjoying seven or eight days off to be with their families.”
Messi and Suarez earned their early break after they helped Barcelona dismantle Espanyol 4-1 at the Camp Nou, a game in which Messi was at his magical best. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner produced two breathtaking runs in the second half to set up Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba before scoring his 12th league goal of the season.
The game against Hercules is Barcelona’s last game of the calendar year and the manager reckons it has been a great year for the club as they won the double. However, he believes it’s in the past now and there is plenty of work to do after the winter break. “It sounds good to end the year having won the La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup,” he said.
“It sounds good but that belongs in history. What's of interest now is that in 2017 we win more titles. We're in good shape. We're not where we wanted to be in the league but we have to accept Madrid's numbers have been spectacular. There's a long way to go in La Liga and we will put up a fight. In the Champions League we qualified top of the group and in the cup, we will try to make the next round on Wednesday,” Enrique added.
Barcelona still trail Real Madrid by 3 points, who have a game in hand, and the Catalan giants travel to Villarreal when La Liga action resumes after the winter break.
