Lionel Messi carries the hopes of Barcelona as individual excellence meets collective strength in tonight’s Champions League quarter-final clash against Bayern Munich in Lisbon.
The Argentine attacker scored a wonder goal and won a penalty in last Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Napoli and was instrumental as Barca overcame Bayern in the semi-finals five years ago.
Barca took home a treble that season, but have not won the Champions League since and with Messi now 33 years old, there is the feeling that the Catalan club should have claimed the famous trophy at least once more over the past few seasons.
Having missed out on LaLiga and the Copa del Rey this term, the European competition also represents Barca’s last chance of success and silverware in 2019-20.
Bayern icons Lothar Matthaus and Giovane Elber have both claimed in the build-up to the match that the Bavarians’ in-form striker, Robert Lewandowski, is ahead of Messi on current form.
But Barca coach Quique Setien dismissed that idea in his pre-match press conference on Thursday.
“Lewandowski is a great footballer, but he's not on Leo's level – that's clear," he said.
“He [Lewandowski] has scored 13 goals in the Champions League and he is well assisted by his team-mates. He's in a great moment, but Leo is too, as we saw against Napoli.”
For his part, former Bayern midfielder Arturo Vidal warned the Germans that Barca were 'the best team in the world' and said: “It's very difficult to compare anyone with Leo. He's from another planet.”
Meanwhile, Setien admitted that he is concerned by ‘everything about Bayern’, but believes Friday’s tie will be even.
The two teams meet in a one-off match in Lisbon due to the new format after Covid-19 and that could suit Barcelona.
“Messi can help us win the match, but I have always believed in the strength of the team,” Setien said.
However, it is Bayern’s team that seems stronger ahead of tonight’s clash.
The German champions won their last nine Bundesliga games after lockdown to claim the title, while also winning the DFB Pokal.
Under coach Hansi Flick, they are unbeaten since very early in his tenure (which began in November) and have won eight out of eight in the Champions League this term.
European victories include a 7-2 thrashing of Tottenham in London and a 7-1 aggregate win over Chelsea in the last 16.
“This is not Bayern-Messi, it’s Bayern-Barca,” Flick said in his press conference on Thursday.
“Of course we have a plan to stop Messi, but I’m not going to reveal it. The important thing is the group.
“We have to be astute, close the spaces and put pressure on them, win the duels.”
Barca and Bayern are both seeking a sixth European Cup and are the only two previous winners left in the competition.
