Messi missed Saturday's laboured 1-0 win against Levante and two games before that for the Spanish league champions-elect since coming on to help inspire his side in their quarter-final second-leg with Paris Saint-Germain.
"He's very important for our attack and you could see we missed him in our last few games," said Xavi.
"I am sure he will be at his best so we can again see what an awesome player he is. It's important to have him in our ranks and it will have an influence on Bayern Munich if he plays.
Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm is convinced they have become a better team since losing last season's UEFA Champions League final against Chelsea at the Allianz Arena.
Chelsea won the penalty shoot-out 4-3 after the match had finished 1-1 after extra-time but Bayern have bounced back and will face Barcelona in the semi-final of this year's competition.
The first leg takes place in Germany on Tuesday and with Bayern having already won 26 of their 30 home games as they romped to the Bundesliga title, confidence in the camp is high.
Arsenal proved they are not infallible at home though, after they secured a 2-0 victory at the Allianz Arena to draw 3-3 on aggregate in the last-16 of the competition, although the Gunners were knocked out of the Champions League on away goals.
"It was a huge disappointment to lose the final at home, but we see we have learnt from that and come back much better, especially in this season's Champions League," said Lahm.
"We have just developed further and strengthened our squad over the summer.
"Everyone in the squad can come in and give a performance. I think that is what has helped us."
Bayern are still waiting to see if Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi will be fit to play as he continues to struggle with a hamstring injury that saw him miss Saturday's 1-0 win over Levante in La Liga.
The Argentina international galvanised the team after coming off the bench as they drew 1-1 with Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their quarter-finals to advance on away goals but Lahm insists they will respect Barca whether Messi plays or not.
"Messi is the best player in the world, with him Barcelona play better and we saw that when he came on against PSG, you could see his involvement," added Lahm.
"When he's on, the standard goes up, but Barcelona aren't just about Messi. I don't really care who we face, they are all top players.
"We have to prove ourselves and show what we can do, we want to win here and go on the attack. We have the right types of players who can take on Barcelona and hurt them."
Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes says he has not sought any advice from former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola ahead of Tuesday's game.
Guardiola will be replacing Heynckes in the Bayern dugout this summer and his history as Barcelona coach, with whom he won the Champions League twice, could have given Heynckes some useful insights into their semi-final opponents at the Allianz Arena.
However, Heynckes, while displaying his respect for his successor, reiterated he does not need any help in preparing the for biggest game of his side's season so far.
"I admire Pep Guardiola, but I don't need any advice from other coaches," he said at the pre-match press conference in Munich today.
"I know my team better than anybody and I also know a lot about Spanish football and Barcelona.
"There has been no kind of contact (with Guardiola) at all."
Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas expects a stiff challenge home and away in the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich.
The Bundesliga champions-elect entertain the La Liga front-runners on Tuesday in the first of an eagerly-anticipated two-legged last-four clash.
Bayern cruised into the semi-finals following a convincing 4-0 aggregate win over Juventus, while Barca just edged past Paris Saint-German on the away-goals rule.
Fabregas, who is set to make way for the returning Lionel Messi in attack despite scoring four goals in his last two Primera Division games, predicts a tough continental encounter for the Blaugrana starting at the Allianz Arena.
"We're going to have a tough time in both matches. If we have possession, we have to try and finish off the moves," Fabregas told the club's official website.
"They may not play such a counter-attacking game as Real Madrid, for example, but they know how to and if Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry get the space they can do you a lot of damage.
"The key to the tie will be having the ball. They're excellent with the ball. "They're really strong on the wings and their forward line, for example Mario Mandzukic and Mario Gómez, is on fire. And I really like Thomas Müller. I believe they have great team but so have we. It'll be an exciting tie."
Bayern Munich attacker Thomas Muller is prepared to win ugly in his side's Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, insisting the result is all that matters.
Already crowned Bundesliga champions, Bayern have been smashing domestic records galore of late, last weekend recording their 26th win of the Bundesliga season and 13th in a row since the winter break.
And with 89 league goals they are only 12 away from the all-time Bundesliga record of 101 - achieved by Bayern's 1971-1972 vintage.
Having sealed the German championship and booked a place in the DFB-Pokal final, Bayern are only a couple of steps away from becoming the first ever German club to win the Treble.
But none of those statistics will matter when they line-up for their Champions League semi-final first leg against Barca, with Muller and his team-mates only concentrating on the task in hand.
"We want to crown our season, so we'll go to the limit in every respect, myself included," Muller told FCB.tv.
"Barca are confident enough in themselves not to be looking at us. But they won't have failed to notice we're in scintillating form. We have to keep it tight at the back and keep a clean sheet at home if possible.
"That's the be-all and end-all if we want to make it to the final. And I really don't care whether we play pretty football or not. The only thing that matters is the result. I'm optimistic, but everyone knows it'll hardly be a stroll."
The game between Bayern and Barcelona will come on at 19:45GMT tonight.
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