THE Champions League has been Barcelona’s safe haven this season, so much so that the club will leave Lionel Messi at home for Tuesday’s match in Ukraine.

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman is resting Messi and midfielder Frenkie de Jong for the game against Dynamo Kyiv, when the Catalan club can secure a spot in the knockout stage for the 17th straight season.

“Neither Leo nor Frenkie are traveling,” Koeman said Monday. “They need some rest. With nine points in our group, we are in a comfortable situation and we have to keep them fresh.”

Messi has played in every match so far this season after having his request to leave the club denied in the offseason. De Jong had also played in every match, and both also spent time with their national teams.

“In Leo’s case you also have trips to South America [to play with Argentina],” Koeman said. “We have to protect our players. It’s impossible for them to play every match and always be at their best. FIFA and UEFA should take action because it’s impossible to be playing all these matches.”

Barcelona’s perfect campaign in the Champions League has been the only good thing for the club recently. It doesn’t have a president in charge, it is dealing with financial difficulties, several of its players are injured and it has struggled in the Spanish league.

Barcelona is coming off a loss to Atletico Madrid that left the team in 13th place in the Spanish league after eight matches.

“We can’t be happy with our results, but we need to stay motivated,” Koeman said.

“We have another match tomorrow and we are one step away from advancing, so we have to take advantage of this opportunity.”

The club is being led by a managing committee since former president Josep Bartomeu and his board of directors resigned after the fallout from the Messi crisis. (SD-Agencies)