BARCELONA _ Argentina begins preparations for the defense of its Olympic soccer title with a friendly against a weakened Catalonia side on Saturday.

Although the regional team will lack seven top players, Argentina coach Sergio Batista is looking for a good showing from his side at FC Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium.

"All matches are important and every match in which you wear the shirt we have to take seriously. The priority of the match is to assemble a strong unit and for the boys to get to know each other," Batista said.

The coach said he will use the game to seek a way to combine the talents of FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi, Atletico Madrid's Sergio Aguero and Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuain in the forward line.

"I have the fortune of calling on gifted players who are capable of playing at any level," he said.

Argentina, which won the Olympic gold medal in Athens four years ago when Carlos Tevez's goal beat a nine-man Paraguay 1-0 in the final, can count on Messi for the August 8-24 Beijing Games.

Messi said Thursday he had opted to play in the Olympics rather than feature in FC Barcelona's Champions League qualifying games.

"It is my decision and the Olympic Games is something which I will never get the chance to play in again," Messi said.

Messi said he hadn't spoken to the club about his decision, although Barcelona is obliged to let him play as he is under 23.

"We know the club's obligations to provide under-23 players (...) but we hope there will be a good talk and a good understanding between all the parties," Batista said.

The 45-year-old Batista, who won the 1986 World Cup as a player with Argentina, could be forced into a tactical change as Boca Juniors' midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme is absent due to Copa Libertadores commitments.

Half of Argentina's 20-man squad for Saturday is Spanish-based. The others include Madrid midfielder Fernando Gago, Deportivo La Coruna defender Fabricio Coloccini and Valencia midfielder Ever Banega.

Catalonia is without six players who have been included in Spain's squad for the June 7-29 European championship _ Barcelona's Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernandez, Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas, Villarreal's Joan Capdevila, Mallorca's Fernando Navarro and Zaragoza's Sergio Garcia.

The seventh absentee is Barcelona's 17-year-old forward Bojan Krkic, who asked to be excluded from Spain's squad due to the fatigue of his debut season with the first team.

Catalonia coach Pere Gratacos said Krkic would be criticized if he played in the friendly.

"I don't want to create a problem that will harm the player. We don't want to open a debate," Gratacos said.

With five players, Espanyol provides the biggest representation in the Catalonia squad, one more than Deportivo La Coruna.

While the only Barcelona player is goalkeeper Victor Valdes, the team's prospective new signing from Manchester United, defender Gerard Pique, is also included.

Like several other Spanish regions, including the Basque Country, players native to Catalonia occasionally play friendlies against international teams, but don't compete in official competitions.