Messi to return as Barca host Roma in last eight
BARCELONA: Lionel Messi is expected back for Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Roma and for Barcelona his return cannot come soon enough.
Messi’s latest rescue-act on Saturday, when he came off the bench to inspire a remarkable fightback against Sevilla, has regurgitated the question of Barca’s dependency on their number 10.
It is difficult to quantify Messi’s brilliance. He would be missed by any team in the world, not least Argentina, who were thrashed 6-1 by Spain last week with the injured forward watching on from the stands.
But for Ernesto Valverde, there is an urgency to the issue because if Messi is not at his blistering best, perhaps feels his hamstring ache, or is somehow contained by Roma’s defence, his side must find another way through.
“We’re up against the very best in Messi,” Roma forward Stephan El Shaarawy said. “Every time he gets on the ball, he can make something happen. That’s why we’ll have to try to act accordingly and restrict his influence as much as possible.”
Messi has been left out of the starting line-up for five La Liga and Champions League games this year. Barca have won two and drawn three of them, the last, against Sevilla, about to be a defeat before he scored an 89thminute equaliser.
GUARDIOLA HOLDS NO FEAR FOR KLOPP
LONDON : Jurgen Klopp has no qualms about saluting Pep Guardiola’s ability to create “extraordinary” teams, but the Liverpool boss is convinced he can bridge the class divide when Manchester City visit Anfield for their Champions League showdown.
Having first gone head to head with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, the friendly rivalry between Klopp and Guardiola has its biggest stage yet as Liverpool face City in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.
Two of Europe’s heavyweight managers, Klopp and Guardiola look destined to compete for the sport’s biggest prizes for years to come. But there is strong mutual admiration between the bosses, with Klopp unstinting in his praise for Guardiola’s ability to get his players to give life to his purist principles.