Messi: Milan when we rise again

Lionel Messi has some ominous words for Milan fans, as he signals next week’s meeting as the game that Barcelona recapture their form in.

The Catalans lost the first leg of their Last 16 clash with the Italians 2-0 and have since also lost twice to Real Madrid, in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg and in the League.

Following on from a similar message yesterday, Argentine forward Messi has made clear the ambition within the dressing room for the team to be at their best again by next Tuesday’s second leg at the Camp Nou.

“We know it is complicated by the result of the first leg, but we can turn it around. As they won, so can we. We are confident that we can overcome this,” he told ESPN in an interview published today.

“This may be the game that we rise again. I know there are many people who are waiting for us to lose so as to say that this is the end of the Barcelona cycle, as it happened last year when there were results that were not good.

“The team is a little off after recent negative results, we have come unstuck for the details. We know there are things that we have not been doing well.

“We like to have the ball and leave plenty of space on the counter-attack. We lost to Milan and Madrid, who have players who are very fast on the counter. We need to slow things down.

“Now is the time to stand up and be ourselves again. Barca is this, when we lose two games everything falls down and when we win, it’s normal.

“We always have to win here. We know that and we have no problem.”

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