Barcelona vs Real Madrid team news: Lionel Messi starts on bench due to injury

Lionel Messi will start on the bench for Barcelona against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final first-leg.

The Argentine had been a serious doubt for the fixture after suffering a thigh strain in the Catalans' 2-2 draw with Valencia on the weekend, with Barca boss Ernesto Valverde saying the club "would wait until the last moment" to decide if Messi would play.

Malcom stars in midfield while Ousmane Dembele misses out as the Frenchman continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

Eighteen-year-old Brazilian starlet Vinicius Jr starts Real Madrid while Marcos Llorente has been brought in ahead of Casemiro to man-mark Lionel Messi.

Barcelona XI

Ter Stegen, Semedo, Piqué, Lenglet, Alba, Busquets, Rakitic, Arthur, Malcom, Coutinho, Suárez

Real Madrid XI

Keylor Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Marcos Llorente, Kroos, Modric; Lucas Vázquez, Benzema, Vinicius