Barcelona striker Luis Suarez feels Lionel Messi has the ability to make a difference in the upcoming El Clasico on Saturday, even as a substitute.
The Argentina international has been out of action since suffering a knee injury last month.
Although Messi returned to training earlier in the week, it is still not clear whether he will feature against Real Madrid at the weekend.
The 28-year-old was similarly doubtful against Atletico Madrid in September, but the forward came on as a second-half substitute and struck the winner at the Vicente Calderon.
And Suarez believes Messi can make a similar impact at the Bernabeu Stadium at the weekend.
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"Leo is one of those players who makes a difference in any game, everybody knows that. We don't know if he'll play from the start or start on the bench. We don't know anything”, he was quoted as saying by Spanish daily Marca.
“He proved as much at the Calderon when he came off the bench and, in just thirty minutes, sealed all three points for us. The team also have to help him, he hasn't played for two months..
"The coach, the medical staff and how he feels will dictate whether or not he plays. He's trained with us over the last few days and feels fine."
Barcelona are currently atop La Liga with 27 points from 11 games, three points ahead of Real Madrid.
The Catalan giants will be hoping to extend their lead at the top of the table when they visit the Spanish capital on Saturday.
