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Barcelona to start Lionel Messi vs. Gladbach - Luis Enrique

Lionel Messi will start Barcelona's Champions League game against Borussia Monchengladbach on Tuesday despite the fact that his side have already guaranteed their place as group winners.

Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Barca coach Luis Enrique confirmed that Messi would be in his side for the match at the Camp Nou.

"Yes, Messi will play from the start," he said after having previously said the game would provide an opportunity to rest key players.

The Argentine has scored nine goals in the competition already this season, including two hat tricks, may have his eye on another record.

Cristiano Ronaldo's total of 17 in the 2013-14 competition is currently the most scored by one player during a season, but Messi could run that close this year.

Ivan Rakitic and Neymar are suspended, while Gerard Pique will not be risked after he was unable to train on Monday.

That means Luis Enrique could choose to mix up his selection, and he said: "That's possible, and it's a positive.

"We can change the system, rest players that have played a lot, some that aren't 100 percent... there are a lot of options. The objective is to win, but there's a general plan for the team which we want to achieve."

Captain Andres Iniesta should also play having impressed in a 30-minute cameo as a substitute against Real Madrid in Saturday's Clasico draw.

"It was very good to get [Iniesta] back, above all because he is our captain and a reference," Luis Enrique said. "He played very well."

Barca B players Carles Alena and Marc Cardona joined first team training on Monday and could feature against Gladbach, with the game offering a chance to give more minutes to players such as Paco Alcacer, Denis Suarez and Samuel Umtiti.