Champions League: Man United to be at the mercy of Lionel Messi

Manchester United to be at the mercy of Lionel Messi when Barcelona locks horns with the English Premiership team on the night of great football during the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

Manchester United has been tipped as underdogs going into the tough match with Barcelona. Football is one big sport that is difficult to predict most often but the Champions League match between Manchester United and Barcelona is going to be fun predictable based on the discussion below.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s View

Some football pundits believe that the game will be a battle between Pogba of Manchester United and Barcelona’s magician Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic holds the same view.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic who was once a player for both clubs at different times cannot hold back his excitement as the two sides meet at the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. He believes that both players will be key to making the game nerve-racking and a delight to watch.

Manchester United and Barcelona can pass for two huge elephants in a fierce battle for the bragging rights and surely, it is the pitch that will tell who is who.

Tonight, both football giants will go head-to-head in an attempt to secure a first-leg advantage that could earn them a semi-final spot in the 2019 Champions League.

Zlatan has passed a comment on this on the said Manchester United website saying the game will be interesting and that the game will tell which of the two clubs is the strongest. He also holds the view that, although football is a collective sport, Messi and Pogba will surely make a difference if their individual brilliance is potent on the day.

Darren Fletcher’s View

Darren Fletcher also a former Manchester United player has said that playing with Messi on the field is difficult compared to watching him from the bench. He holds the view that, Manchester has what it takes to halt Messi in the game and prevent him from having any impact.

He has also attested to the fact that Messi is difficult to stop in any game. Watching him play is fun and easy to analyze, playing with him is a different game altogether. He told the BBC that

It will be very difficult but we managed to beat Barca in 2008 by sitting deep, absorbing pressure and looking to hit them on the break. Looking at the strengths and weaknesses of both teams now, that could work for United again.

The fact remains that., Messi who is now 31 is one of the best and feared player by any defense in the world. If he should get the needed services, be exciting as we expect him to be, Manchester may be in big trouble tonight. Manchester United is not a walkover, but Barcelona is difficult to crack when they are playing so well in a season like this.

This match will surely go to the wires end we expect the worse of for Barcelona on the day to be a draw 1-1 but if the flood gates are opened, we may see many goals in this first leg encounter.