Lionel Messi, Neymar and Co. Facing Champions League Final Conflict
Should Barcelona make it to this year's Champions League final, they may be forced to descend upon Berlin without star forwards Lionel Messi and Neymar.
As reported by Sport, this year's Copa America schedule threatens to see South America's top stars whisked away from Europe just when their clubs need them most. The tournament kicks off in Chile on June 11, with FIFA indicating players must be made available for national duty from May 29.
This season's Champions League final takes place on June 6, one week after countries have the right to enforce their priority over clubs with the call-up of their desired players, per Sport. According to AS (h/t Sport), FIFA recommends clubs begin to negotiate with national teams to ensure all their big-hitters are available for the potential European final.
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Considering the Copa America begins just five days after the Champions League final, individuals such as Messi, Neymar, Dani Alves, Javier Mascherano and Claudio Bravo may miss a crucial time in the Blaugrana's season.
Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated suggests Neymar isn't destined to play in the Copa America, however:
Barca are already scheduled to face Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey showpiece on May 30, but it would be extremely harsh for them to miss the tie considering it arrives just one day after national bosses can request their services.
Plenty of other elite European sides may also be shuffling nervously with the Champions League final date in mind. Real Madrid could lose Marcelo, Paris Saint-Germain may miss Edinson Cavani and Juventus may wave goodbye to Arturo Vidal to name a few.
Needless to say, losing such stars from the tournament's final would be a major blow for UEFA. The governing body has worked hard to maximise the commercial potential of the Champions League in recent times—hence a greater amount of televised matches being shown across a drawn-out schedule—but the absence of key stars would frustrate many.
Messi is destined to challenge for the top scorer's spot this season and is currently one behind Luiz Adriano's total of nine for Shakhtar Donetsk, per Eurosport. Bayern Munich recently knocked the Ukrainian side out of the tournament, however, meaning Messi has the opportunity to establish himself as the competition's deadliest marksman.
He played a key part in Barca beating Manchester 2-1 during their recent round of 16 first leg. Despite having a late penalty saved by Joe Hart, the Argentinian is destined to lead Barca when the two sides meet again on Wednesday. Neymar has a trio of goals in this season's tournament, signalling the three-pronged attack with Luis Suarez (who has netted four) can lead Barca all the way.
For once, fans of the Catalonia club may welcome FIFA's banning of Suarez, who remains suspended from duty with Uruguay after biting Italian centre-back Giorgio Chiellini at last summer's World Cup.
Although he missed the first two months of the club season due to this punishment, Suarez may turn out to be Barcelona's leading man if the worst happens and his South American colleagues are pushed toward their home continent.
