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What's the story?
Manchester United legend Dwight Yorke has conceded that he does not think his former club will be able to stop Argentine ace Lionel Messi when they face him in the Champions League quarter-finals this month.
In case you didn't know...
Manchester United are currently preparing to take on the Spanish giants in Europe's elite competition after they spectacularly defeated Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain by overturning their first-leg deficit in the closing leg of the Round of 16 fixture.
While United have proven to be capable of pulling off surprises, Barcelona have their captain, Messi, who is enjoying phenomenal form this season. The 31-year-old has already crossed the 40-goal mark in all competitions and looks set to further increase his tally.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men will be hosting Barcelona at Old Trafford for the first leg of the fixture.
The heart of the matter
While Yorke believes it will be impossible to stop Messi, he has stated that Manchester United can get past Barcelona if they don't focus on the Argentine too much.
Speaking to United's official website, the former striker said, "I don’t think we can stop Messi. I think that you have got to concentrate on your game. I think we have to play the most near-perfect game to overcome Barcelona."
"We know that Messi is arguably the world’s best footballer in our generation, and when you have that sort of mentality, it is always difficult."
"But I feel if we play the team collectively and we play to our potential, even with Messi’s greatness, I think we may just have the edge on them."
"We have to play as a team and we have to play to our full potential and, of course, you need a little bit of luck in those games to go your way and, if we can get that on the night, there is no reason why United cannot come out victorious in those two-legged games."
What's next?
You can catch the highly anticipated clash between the two football giants on April 11 at 12.30 AM (IST).
