Lionel Messi Should Wait for Full Fitness Before Returning to Barcelona Lineup

Lionel Messi is a competitor. The Barcelona superstar will want to take his place alongside his teammates when the club opens its La Liga campaign against Levante on Sunday. But he shouldn't push himself too hard with a busy season ahead.

The Argentine international was already forced to miss the back end of Barcelona's Asian Tour and national team duty due to a lingering muscle injury, according to the club's official site. The report didn't include a status update for Sunday, however.

"

Leo Messi will not feature in the international friendly between Argentina and Italy in Rome this Wednesday. After undergoing tests conducted by the Argentina national team doctors, it was decided that Messi should return to Barcelona and focus on recovering from his muscle injury. The injury forced the forward miss out on Barca's last match of the Asia Tour.

"

Timing is important. If the situation was different and Barcelona was preparing for a crucial Champions League matchup or an El Clasico rivalry clash with Real Madrid that could impact the title chase, there would obviously be a different level of urgency.

Instead, the next match is the first of 38 La Liga fixtures against a Levante side that finished in the middle of the table last term. So if Messi isn't all the way back to 100 percent in time for kickoff, there's no reason to push the issue.

After all, it's the first match of what's shaping up to become a jam-packed year for the dynamic forward.

On the club side, Barcelona are once again scheduled for a full slate, including La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey. They also have the Spanish Super Cup against Atletico Madrid in the coming weeks.

Then on the international side, Messi is expected to play a major role in making sure Argentina officially secures a spot in the World Cup. Qualifying continues next month and the Albiceleste brass are surely hoping he's ready to roll.

So there's a lot of different factors in play from every angle. Messi and Barcelona must keep that in mind as they prepare to start the new campaign.

Making sure he gets all the way back to full strength to ensure he's prepared for the bigger matches on the horizon is more important than a clash with Levante, no matter how much Barca wants to display their new attack with Neymar included.

Even without Messi, Barcelona would have no problem putting together a formidable attacking group for the season opener. Neymar could team with Alexis Sanchez, who was tremendous during the preseason, and Pedro to put serious pressure on the Granotes' back line.

Ultimately, it comes down to looking at the big picture. Barcelona doesn't want Messi to push too hard now and risk not having him for more critical matches on the horizon.

Thus, unless he's at full strength, Messi should remain on the sidelines.