- Former England midfielder Frank Lampard claims Chelsea must be careful of Lionel Messi in their UCL clash
- The 30-year-old scored his first goal against the Blues in their last fixture at the Stamford Bridge
- Both sides played 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture at the Bridge last month
Chelsea legend Frank Lampard is wary of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi ahead of their UEFA Champions League clash at the Camp Nou on Wednesday, March 14.
Both sides played out 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture at the Stamford Bridge with Lionel Messi and Willian scoring for either side last month.
Meanwhile, the former midfielder claims the Blues on their good day can hurt the Catalan club on their good day, but insisted that red-hot Messi alone can make all the difference in the game.
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The Stamford Bridge side managed a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday evening ahead of their continental championship on home turf.
While Philippe Coutinho and Luis Suarez inspired Ernesto Valverde’s men to a 2-1 win over Malaga in the Spanish league to maintain their leadership on the La Liga table
However, Lampard thinks it will be a tough time for the Blues in Spain because of Lionel Messi, who scored his first goal against the Premier League side in the last fixture.
“Barcelona will be completely different task [to Crystal Palace]," Lampard told Match of the Day.
“With my Chelsea head on, they have the team that can go there and defend and try to get goals on the break.
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“But going to the Nou Camp with that man Lionel Messi will be very tough.”
The former England midfielder was part of the team that won the 2012 UCL title, having gone ahead to oust Barca at the semifinal stage that year, but former star fears his ex-club may come up short on this occasion.
Lionel Messi pulled out team that claimed a 2-0 win at Malaga on Saturday, March 11 to welcome his third child with his wife.
He has scored 4 goals for the Catalan club in all competition this season, and he will be hoping to add to his tally in his bid to win his sixth Ballon d’Or award later this year.
Barcelona are at the summit of the table with 72 points after 28 games – 11 points ahead of Atletico Madrid who will be playing against Celta Vigo on Sunday evening.
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Source: Sports.naija.ng