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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
George Flood

Lionel Messi and Barcelona stars train at Old Trafford ahead of Man Utd Champions League quarter-final

Ernesto Valverde put his Barcelona players through their paces at Old Trafford on Tuesday afternoon as they finalised preparations for tomorrow night's Champions League quarter-final first-leg tie against Manchester United.

Lionel Messi and co appeared in good spirits as they plotted the downfall of the Red Devils in the first competitive meeting between the two European giants since the 2011 final in London, when Pep Guardiola's Catalans, who had also beat the same opposition at the last hurdle two years previously, delivered a masterclass en route to winning 3-1 at Wembley.

Ousmane Dembele was back training with his team-mates in Manchester, but it remains to be seen if Valverde will be willing to field the French forward after he was risked for an important last-16 second-leg fixture against Lyon and subsequently suffered a hamstring strain.

Wednesday's match will also see Barcelona defensive stalwart Gerard Pique return to the club for whom he played between 2004-08.

Barcelona train at Old Trafford ahead of Man Utd match

"I went from being kid to an adult here, I had my first experiences as a professional and some crazy experiences off the pitch. I came here alone, without my family, I learned a lot and I left a completely different person," the 32-year-old said at a pre-match press conference.

Scroll through the gallery above to see the Barcelona squad training ahead of Wednesday's eagerly-anticipated clash...

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