Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi will be coming up against Celtic when the Spanish club take on the Scottish club in the International Champions Cup this weekend.
It represents a throwback to the meeting between the teams a few years ago in the Champions League. Lionel Messi managed to perform at his brilliant best and overcome a stubborn Celtic team. Since then, a lot has changed in the world of football especially concerning with these two clubs. Barcelona have gone on from success to success while Celtic have been struggling to make a significant impact in European football in the last few years.
The poor form in Europe over the last few years has led to the dismissal of Ronny Deila. It has resulted in the arrival of former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers to Celtic Park. Ahead of the meeting between the two teams, Messi has spoken about how the absence of Celtic in the Champions League will create a huge void. Celtic almost came close to being knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers but they were rescued by a late equaliser from Leigh Griffiths. It means that the Scottish club still remain with a chance of getting into the group stages since Astana of Kazakhstan will be coming to Celtic Park for the return leg.
“We have had some games against Celtic that I will always remember, and they are a big club, with big fans, and I would like to see them qualify this year – it is where they belong.For Celtic they have much more important games than this coming up with the Champions League qualifiers, but this can help them prepare.It is always a good atmosphere against Celtic. For the players at Barcelona who experienced the games in Europe against them, they will know what to expect from their fans,” said Messi.