Roura: "Messi's fitness? I couldn't say for sure just yet"

Speaking ahead of Tuesday's Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich, Barcelona assistant Jordi Roura remained cautious on Lionel Messi's fitness chances.

In the build-up to his side's Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich, Barcelona assistant coach Jordi Roura remained cautious on Lionel Messi's chances of making Tuesday's first leg at the Allianz Arena. Speaking to the media in Monday's pre-match press conference, Roura also had words of praise for Bayern.
Repeating the home performance against Milan in the last 16: "There's no doubt that the game against Milan was extraordinary but every game, every tie is different; each follows a different course. It's a tie that'll be decided in the second match and by fine margins. I hope that we perform in the home leg of this tie like we did against Milan. We'll be out to do our best."
Eric Abidal's return to action: "It's a reason for celebration. We have one more training session, and he's an option for us."
Is imposing the Barça philosophy the key to success for 'Los Azulgrana'? "There can be no doubt whatsoever that Tuesday's game will be an extremely intense encounter. I hope that the team imposes its philosophy on the game. That's what we'll try to do: keep control of the game. However, we also know how difficult Bayern are and the good form that they're in. We know how difficult this tie is going to be."
Lionel Messi's fitness: "The sensations have been good in the past few days; he seems to have recovered well. He's hopeful of playing, but I couldn't say anything definite just yet. There's no doubt that whether he plays or not has an effect. The things he does on the field are special, and when a player of his level is unavailable to you it makes a difference. We hope that if everything goes well he'll be able to play, but we'll have to wait until today's [Monday's] training session."
Barça as the less fancied side: "In the end, the circumstances are what they are. There's no doubt that Bayern's recent track record is immaculate, they've progressed through the knockout rounds very well. It's clear that they come into the tie in great form. We've had injury setbacks but we hope to overcome that. We come into this tie eager to win it."
Contact with Pep Guardiola: "We've already spoken about this. There's no sense in it. Pep is going to be Bayern coach next year; there's no point in either us or Bayern talking to him. He's waiting for next season and I'm sure he's looking forward to enjoying the tie."