Napoli Manager, Gennaro Gattuso, has disclosed that his side would approach Lionel Messi-led Barcelona team without fear in the Champions League round of 16 first-leg tie on Tuesday night.
Napoli will take on the La Liga champions at the Stadio San Paolo following a 2-1 win over Brescia in their last Serie A encounter.
Speaking ahead of the clash, Gattuso said at his pre-match press conference as quoted by the Daily Mail: “We have to play against Barcelona without fear.
“Lionel Messi is unbelievable because he can do things that you only see on Playstation. We have to try and stop Messi. We have to be ready to suffer because they would not let us touch the ball.
“Barcelona can damage their opponent mentally,” he said.
Barcelona head to the game after defeating Eibar 5-0 in their last La Liga encounter over the weekend.
“Napoli have improved in recent games. Against the big teams they’ve played well and got good results; beating Juventus and Liverpool. They have some really good players like Insigne, Mertens and Milik, and we will have to be alert.”
The centre-back also outlined his thoughts on the match in general. “We will play our game, have the ball, look to score and take a positive result away for the return game.”
After the Champions League game comes El Clásico against Real Madrid: “Having a good game against Napoli will help us to face El Clásico more calmly. It’s an important week, and we want to keep the good run going, it gives us confidence.”
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