Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini says Barcelona striker Lionel Messi has never played badly, adding that focusing too heavily on stopping the Argentine could backfire on City as the two sides meet at the Etihad on Tuesday.
Pellegrini, who claims his side is the current ruling force in Manchester, and not United says the former World Footballer of the year is either excellent or great.
”We hope to face the worst Messi – the great one. Without doubt, it is very difficult to stop Messi because he is the top player of the world. He has a lot of different qualities – speed, good balance, good finish – but I don’t think Barcelona is just Messi.
“You can have a lot of other players who will also decide the game as well so it’s important to play as a team defending and attacking.
“If you review their season, they have qualified in the Champions League, they are top of table in the Spanish league and are in the final of Copa del Rey, so they continue to be a very strong team.
“I am absolutely sure that, if we want to have a good result in the first leg, we must prepare a very good game.”
Twenty-four hours after claiming that City are now bigger than Manchester United, there could not have been a better time to prove that statement than when Lionel Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Pedro and others are visiting.
Pellegrini has enjoyed some success against the Barca during his decade in Spain coaching Villarreal, Real Madrid and Malaga. The Chilean has won four and drawn four of his 22 encounters with the La Liga Champions and he insists City will not compromise their attacking approach when they tackle Tata Martino’s team.
“The spirit of the team is OK and we will see on Tuesday the same team we see every week.” Pellegrini said.
“I believe in a style of playing. It’s always very important that the fans like the way we play, but I think we can have both – to achieve important results and play in a style the fans enjoy.”
Meanwhile, City’s hopes of securing a first-leg victory have been boosted by the return of Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho, who has been out for weeks due to thigh injury.
Barcelona arrived in Manchester on Tuesday with a full-strength squad and with Messi having eclipsed Alfredo Di Stéfano in the La Liga goalscoring charts following his two goals in the 6-0 victory against Rayo Vallecano.
The encounter with Barcelona is City’s first competitive meeting with the Catalans, and it is likely to prove the sternest test of the home side’s prospects of completing an unprecedented quadruple this season.
