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Lionel Messi to sit out Barcelona's match Sunday

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Lionel Messi and Barcelona lead La Liga and are in the Champions League semis.

Lionel Messi and Barcelona lead La Liga and are in the Champions League semis.

Lionel Messi has been left out of Barcelona's squad for the Spanish league game at Real Zaragoza as part of the leaders' plans to rest several first-choice players to prepare for the final stretch of the season.

Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and goalkeeper Jose Pinto will also miss Sunday's match.

Messi injured his right hamstring last week and went on as a substitute on Wednesday while still not fully fit to help Barcelona get past Paris Saint-Germain to reach the Champions League semifinals.

The club says Busquets hurt his groin and Pinto has back pain, while the coaches decided to rest Iniesta and Alba.

Barcelona holds a 13-point lead in the league. The first leg of the Champions League semifinals is at Bayern Munich on April 23.

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