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There is no doubting Lionel Messi’s greatness and the Barcelona captain has come in for more praise from Celta Vigo forward Nolito.
Barcelona play Celta on Saturday in La Liga which allowed Nolito to take time out before the game at Balaidos to explain just how highly he rates the Argentina international, according to Sport.
“God touched Messi with the magic wand three or four times to make him the best in the world without the need to go to the gym or anything, it’s something that he’s got inside.”
Messi turned 33 this week but is still widely recognised as the best player in the world. He picked up the Ballon d’Or for a record sixth time in December and leads the goals and assists charts in La Liga in 2019-20 despite missing the start of the season through injury.
Messi to Hit 700 Goals at Celta?
The Barcelona captain heads to Balaidos on Saturday in search of the 700th goal of his career. Messi has two goals and three assists in four games since La Liga resumed earlier this month but has not found the back of the net in his last two outings.
The 33-year-old did score a hat-trick the last time he faced Celta. He netted a penalty and two sublime free-kicks in a 4-1 win for the Catalan giants at the Camp Nou back in November.
Messi has played every minute of Barcelona’s four games since the competition returned after a three-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic but is still expected to lead his team out again on Saturday.
Nolito added that he’s wary of the threat Barcelona offer but feels his team can cause the defending champions problems.
“We will try and make Barcelona suffer, although they have great players like Messi and they can score from any of your slip ups. Celta have very good players too and we’re in good form, we’ve won two games. We have to work hard, set ourselves and win however we can.”
Can Barcelona Improve Away Form?
Barcelona can ill-afford to drop any points if they are to retain their league title. They are in second place in the table with seven games left, level on points with Real Madrid but behind due to an inferior head-to-head record.
One of the Catalan giants’ weaknesses this season has been their away form. All five of Barca’s defeats this season in the league have come away from home. They have won just 22 of a possible 45 points away from home and enjoyed just six wins from 15 away matches.
An improvement in away form is needed if Barcelona are to pip Real Madrid to the title, starting on Saturday at Celta. Oscar Garcia’s side are in decent form too. They’ve won their last two, scoring seven goals in the process.
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