Barca demand Messi
Barcelona on collision course with Argentina
By Pete Oliver Last updated: 17th July 2008
Fight: Lionel Messi is wanted by club and country
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Barcelona want Lionel Messi to miss the Olympics to help them qualify for the Champions League group stages.
Argentina hope Messi will be available to play for them in the Beijing football tournament from 6-23 August.
But with Barcelona facing two Championship qualifying ties next month they are looking to secure Messi's release.
"We have a case and we will fight for Messi to playing the Champions League qualifier because he should be with us. We have let FIFA know this," Barcelona's sports director Txiki Regiristain was reported as saying in Spain.
Messi, 21, had previously said he would like to play in the Olympics.
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Saturday 18th October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 12:45 | Middlesbrough vs Chelsea |
| 15:00 | Arsenal vs Everton |
| 15:00 | Aston Villa vs Portsmouth |
| 15:00 | Bolton vs Blackburn |
| 15:00 | Fulham vs Sunderland |
| 15:00 | Liverpool vs Wigan |
| 17:30 | Man Utd vs West Brom |
| Sunday 19th October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 15:00 | Hull vs West Ham |
| 16:00 | Stoke vs Tottenham |
| Monday 20th October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 20:00 | Newcastle vs Man City |
| Saturday 25th October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 12:00 | Everton vs Man Utd |
| 12:45 | Sunderland vs Newcastle |
| 15:00 | West Brom vs Hull |
| 17:30 | Blackburn vs Middlesbrough |
| Sunday 26th October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 13:30 | Chelsea vs Liverpool |
| 16:00 | West Ham vs Arsenal |
| Tuesday 28th October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Newcastle vs West Brom |
| Wednesday 29th October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Aston Villa vs Blackburn |
| 19:45 | Hull vs Chelsea |
| 20:00 | Arsenal vs Tottenham |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Sunday 5th October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| West Ham 1 - 3 Bolton | |
| Portsmouth 2 - 1 Stoke | |
| Chelsea 2 - 0 Aston Villa | |
| Man City 2 - 3 Liverpool | |
| Tottenham 0 - 1 Hull | |
| Everton 2 - 2 Newcastle | |
| Saturday 4th October | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Wigan 0 - 1 Middlesbrough | |
| Sunderland 1 - 1 Arsenal | |
| West Brom 1 - 0 Fulham | |
| Blackburn 0 - 2 Man Utd | |
| Sunday 28th September | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Portsmouth 2 - 0 Tottenham | |
| Wigan 2 - 1 Man City | |
| Saturday 27th September | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Everton 0 - 2 Liverpool | |
| Man Utd 2 - 0 Bolton | |
| Stoke 0 - 2 Chelsea | |
| Middlesbrough 0 - 1 West Brom | |
| Newcastle 1 - 2 Blackburn | |
| Aston Villa 2 - 1 Sunderland | |
| Fulham 1 - 2 West Ham | |
| Arsenal 1 - 2 Hull | |
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