The 50-year-old recognises the significance the Argentine can have, but is confident in his team have the ability to cope without him against Celtic
Gerardo Martino has insisted he understands how big a loss Lionel Messi can be, but insists it is something Barcelona can overcome.
Cesc Fabregas, Alexis Sanchez and Neymar are considered viable options to replace the injured forward as the Catalans prepare for a chance at revenge against Celtic, who beat them in the group stage last season, on Tuesday.
Camp Nou coach Martino pointed out that Barcelona have played without Messi before and have plenty of players capable of stepping in to fill the void.
"For any team in the world it would be difficult to replace Messi," he told reporters. "Even for us, though we’ve got a great squad with outstanding players.
"We need to play well, even with him missing. I’m not sure it’s a test to play without him, though we’ve done it before."
Martino discussed his options for replacing Messi up front, but insists he will wait until closer to kick-off to make a decision.
"[Fabregas] is great at linking up with the three behind and he sets his team-mates up really well. With Leo we cause the opposition problems in the last 25 metres.
"Neymar also can’t be ruled out, just as Alexis can’t be. We’ve got various options and we’ll see which one is the best.
"It’s not always going to be that when Messi is out Fabregas replaces him."
Even though Martino was not coach when the Blaugrana suffered a 2-1 loss at Celtic Park last season, he admits Tuesday is a good opportunity to get revenge.
"Everyone is taking it for granted that the game will be like the one last year. We need to be more accurate and faster in our build-up play. It would be good for us to control the ball.
"I don’t think the players want revenge, rather just the chance to put things right. Barca are expected to play well. We’re constantly under microscopic scrutiny.
"There’s a lot to think about, but we need to focus on what’s ahead, not think about what happened last year."
The Catalans' €57 million summer signing has begun life at Camp Nou on the bench, but is likely to feature from the outset at Malaga as the Argentine recovers from a bruised thigh
Neymar is set for his first competitive start with Barcelona on Sunday as Lionel Messi misses the trip toMalaga to recover from the bruised thigh he picked up in the Spanish Supercopa against Atletico Madrid on Thursday.The Catalans' €57 million summer signing from Santos lost seven kilos following surgery to remove his tonsils after Brazil's Confederations Cup win in June and has been gradually stepping up his training and match fitness ever since.Neymar began on the bench as Barca battered Levante 7-0 last weekend and opened his goalscoring account for the Catalan club as he headed the equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Atletico on Thursday after replacing Pedro at the Vicente Calderon, but the 21-year-old is set for a more prominent role on Sunday."We will not put any pressure on Neymar," coach Gerard Martino said last week. "We want to integrate him into the team little by little."And the Barca boss refused to reveal whether the Brazilian would start against Malaga as he addressed the media on Saturday. "Just because Messi is out, that doesn't mean Neymar will play - that he will be the one pulling the strings..." the Argentine explained. "We have lots of players [who can do that]: [Andes] Iniesta, Xavi, Cesc [Fabregas], Pedro..."Nevertheless, Neymar is desperate to feature from the outset after his cameo appearances against Levante and Atletico, and Martino is unlikely to leave the club's new star on the bench for a third game in a row.Instead, the Brazilian is primed for a starting spot against Malaga and is likely to be replaced late in the game if he is too tired to complete the full 90 minutes.Messi, meanwhile, has been left out of the squad for the game in Andalucia to recover in time for the Supercopa second leg at home to Atleti on Thursday night, when Barca will look to claim their first silverware of the season."Leo is evolving well," Martino said on Saturday. "Leaving him out [for the Malaga game] is just a precaution."
