15th April, 2015
With Paris Saint-Germain, PSG, missing a couple of their key players in tonight’s Champions League quarter final tie, all eyes will be on Argentine Lionel Messi as FC Barcelona visit Paris.
Even Coach Laurent Blanc of PSG has said that his team will have to stifle the threat of Messi if they are to record their second victory of the season over Barcelona in the crucial match.
The Ligue 1 champions stunned Barça in September, scoring three times to condemn Luís Enrique’s side to their sole defeat of the Champions League thus far. And on the eve of the rematch at the Parc des Princes, Blanc admitted that lessons learnt in that game have factored into his preparations in recent days.
“My opinion is the same as that of anyone who loves football: he has been the best player in the world for some time.
“If he scores 40 goals, he’s had a bad season! You know exactly what he’s going to do but you just cannot stop him.
“He’s not just a dribbler or a goalscorer; he also creates goals for others.
“It’s too easy for him if put one marker on him. We have to tackle the problem as a team by reducing the space around him and defending aggressively.”
PSG are without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marco Verratti and Serge Aurier through suspension, as well as the hamstrung Motta. Lucas Moura, who is not fully recovered from a groin injury, will only be on the bench while David Luiz, treated recently in Russia for his own hamstring issues, is unlikely to feature despite being a surprise and welcome inclusion in a 19-man party. PSG’s lavishly assembled squad boasts depth but, they confront a team whose reputation on this stage is established. Barça have won 30 of their past 34 matches in all competitions and their players, as Blanc volunteered, are capable of “playing PlayStation football against anyone”.