Lionel Messi taken the mick out of by Gonzalo Higuain after he was named as Barcelona substitute against Juventus

LIONEL MESSI was dropped by Barcelona yesterday against Juventus - and Gonzalo Higuain found it hilarious.

The football superstar was named on the bench by Barca for the Champions League clash by boss Ernesto Valverde.

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Messi did appear on the field in the 56th minute when he replaced Gerard Deulofeu, but failed to impact on the game as it finished 0-0.

And as the two teams were heading out of the tunnel, former Real Madrid striker Higuain had a dig at Messi for failing to make the starting XI.

The pair are international team-mates with Argentina. Higuain reportedly said: "It suits him the vest, the vest of substitute", before the two laughed together.

The likelihood was that Velverde rested Messi ahead of Barcelona's top-of-the-table clash against Valencia at the weekend.

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The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has already conceded he will play a lesser role for Argentina in order to reach the World Cup in peak condition.

He said: "We play many games in the season — the Champions League, the Copa del Rey, La Liga, plus everything about the national team and the trips.

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"I want to get to the World Cup in the best way.”

The draw still meant the Catalan giants qualified for the knockout stages of the competition.

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Massimiliano Allegri's Juventus side need a win against Olympiakos in their final match to ensure qualification.

Third-place Sporting Lisbon beat the Greek side 3-1 and travel to the Nou Camp in their final match a point behind Juventus.

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Valverde made the big decision to leave Messi on the bench with one eye on the weekend — and the lack of quality in attack was telling.

Gerard Deulofeu started alongside Luis Suarez and both struggled to break down the Juve defence.

Juve played like a side lacking in confidence, but will back themselves to beat Olympiakos at home and ensure qualification to the last-16 for the fourth consecutive season.

Failing that, even a second-string Barcelona side should avoid defeat against Sporting at the Nou Camp.