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Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman discussed Lionel Messi’s fine form and his team’s chances of beating Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League after Saturday’s emphatic 5-1 win over Alaves in La Liga.
The Catalan giants enjoyed a comfortable win at the Camp Nou but now turn their attention to Tuesday’s last-16 first leg against the French champions.
Koeman says his team are confident but will need to be at their best if they are to get a good result against Mauricio Pochettino’s men, as reported by Marca.
The team is doing well. We’re confident we’ll be able to win the tie knowing that we played against a strong defensive unit. They have injuries, but so do we. The tie is evenly matched. We have to play well to go through. We’re in a good run of form, with a good streak of wins. We’re confident.
Saturday’s comfortable win made it seven straight victories in La Liga for the Catalan giants.
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Koeman Praises In-Form Messi
Messi and youngster Francisco Trincao both scored twice in Saturday’s win with Junior Firpo also on target. The goals mean Messi now has 15 for the season in La Liga and continues a rich vein of goalscoring form.
The Barcelona captain has nine goals in his last nine outings for the Catalan giants, and Koeman knows Barca need the 33-year-old to be at his very best against PSG on Tuesday if the team are to progress to the quarter-finals.
Messi is very important. He’s in fantastic form. We know he’s decisive; he has been for a long time. He’s very focused. He’s happy. He’s effective. With him, everything is easier. He is very involved, I see him happy. It’s easier for him if his teammates follow him. We need a Messi in his prime to eliminate PSG.
Both of Messi’s goals against Alaves came from range. According to Opta, the Argentine has now scored four goals from outside the penalty area against the Basque side since their promotion in 2016-17.
Koeman Talks Trincao
Koeman also spoke about two-goal Trincao who made his first La Liga start of the season on Saturday. The winger opened his account for Barcelona last time out in the 3-2 win over Real Betis and added two more against Alaves.
The Portugal international was a little unfortunate not to score a hat-trick. He saw a good shot saved by goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco in the second half and also had a goal disallowed for offside.
It’s been a slow start to life at Barca for Trincao following his summer move from Braga, but Koeman thinks the youngster is starting to come good. He said, “He needed a period of adaptation and time. He is more confident every day. He still has to improve, but I see him more involved and focused.”
Trincao will likely be replaced by Ousmane Dembele in the starting XI for the visit of PSG but could prove a useful option off the bench after another morale-boosting performance for Barcelona.
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