Lionel Messi Rarely Scores Goals in the Champions League Quarter Final

DBasia.news –  Barcelona will visit Manchester United’s headquarters, Old Trafford, in the first leg of the last eight of the Champions League on Thursday (11/4) at 02.00 a.m. Western Indonesian Time. Lionel Messi certainly became the highlight of the match.

Although trapped, Manchester United were able to step up to the quarter-finals. In the round of 16, Paul Pogba and his friends lost 2-0 in the first leg.

However, Man United did not retreat. In the end, the Red Devils defeated Les Parisiens with superior aggressiveness away goals. Meanwhile, the aggregate ends with 3-3.

Even so, Barcelona is not an arbitrary opponent. Ernesto Valverde’s side took control of LaLiga and advanced to the Copa del Rey final.

One of the players that need to watch out for Manchester United is Lionel Messi. Not without reason, the 31-year-old is still Barcelona’s mainstay to build an attack.

Based on statistics, the Argentine national team player has scored 43 goals plus 21 assists in various events. More specifically, La Pulga has scored eight goals plus three assists in the Champions League.

Interestingly, Lionel Messi often found difficulties scoring goals in the quarter-finals. Messi failed to register his name on the scoreboard in Barcelona’s last 11 matches in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The player last scored a goal against Paris Saint-Germain, April 2013.

These statistics are somewhat anomalous for Lionel Messi’s classmates. Known for his sharpness, Messi has released 49 shots without even one that yielded results.

Nevertheless, everything will not be easy for Manchester United. Based on statistics, Messi has scored 22 goals in the Champions League in 30 matches against England representatives. This number is the most than any other player in the history of the competition.

Now, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs to warn his foster children not to once let Lionel Messi freely control the ball. Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof need to work together to build a strong defense. The plan, the second leg will be held six days later.