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Barcelona LIVE News: Express Sport brings you the latest updates from the Nou Camp
Monday 18 February
- Lionel Messi is never inspired when he plays against Lyon – Aulas
- Barcelona wins battle to engage Eintracht Frankfurt striker in Luka Jovic
- Real Madrid, Chelsea and Bayern Munich are all interested
- Lyon wants to "reduce" Lionel Messi's influence
Barcelona is wary of Lyon
Sergio Busquets has promised not to take Lyon lightly in the first leg of the Champions League on Tuesday in the first leg of the last 16 games.
Lyon is full of offensive talent and has hugely frustrated Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the group stage.
"I have a lot of respect for Lyon, they beat PSG recently," midfielder Sergio Busquets told reporters.
"They have very fast players in the middle of the field and in attack, they are trying to create space, we have to close these spaces."
Barcelona LIVE News: Express Sport brings you the latest updates from the Nou Camp (Image: EPA)
Improve or Suffer – Stitched
According to Gerard Pique, Barcelona will suffer from its first leg against Lyon in the last first leg of the Champions League against the last 16 matches.
The Catalan giants defeated Real Valladolid 1-0 on Saturday, after three consecutive draws.
"We were not the Barca we wanted to be, the result was good, the sensations were not," Pique said.
"If we do not move the ball quickly, dominate the game and possession of the ball or create opportunities, we are a weaker team."
Barcelona LIVE News: Express Sport brings you the latest updates from the Nou Camp (Image: GETTY)
Lionel Messi's taunt
Lionel Messi is never inspired when he plays against Lyon.
This is the opinion of Lyon President Jean-Michel Aulas, who plays against Barcelona in his first leg of the Champions League against the last 16 first leg matches on Tuesday.
In an interview with the newspaper Le Figaro, the president claimed that Messi had never been "inspired" during his tests.
When asked who was the best opponent in Lyon, it was his rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, who had done the praise.
"Cristiano Ronaldo with Manchester United in 2004," he said. "We were leading 2-0 at halftime and after he found it alone, with a delay, it was a rocket.
"We have faced boys like David Beckham, Messi, even though the Argentinian has never been very inspired against us, we hope it will last.It may have a flu, that would be good. "
Barcelona LIVE News: Express Sport brings you the latest updates from the Nou Camp (Image: GETTY)
Eye of Chelsea Hakim Ziyech
Chelsea has expressed interest in signing the star of Ajax, Hakim Ziyech.
According to the Italian site Calciomercato, which says that the team of Maurizio Sarri has his eyes riveted on the Moroccan international.
Ziyech scored 15 goals and provided 13 badists in all competitions for Ajax, including one against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Ajax has signed the winger, 25, from Twente in 2016 for £ 11 million, but is now valued at over £ 35 million.
It remains to be seen whether Ajax, which has already lost Frenkie de Jong in Barcelona for a first sum of 65 million pounds, is ready to receive offers.
Barcelona LIVE News: Express Sport brings you the latest updates from the Nou Camp (Image: GETTY)
Barcelona wins Luka Jovic chase
Barcelona wins the battle to engage the striker from Eintracht Frankfurt to Luka Jovic.
The Catalan giants are on the market for a long-term replacement of Luis Suarez, who turned 32 in January.
And have identified Jovic, who is currently the Bundesliga top scorer with 19 goals, as an ideal complement.
Real Madrid, Chelsea and Bayern Munich are watching the Serbian international – behind Ernesto Valverde's team.
Jovic, 21, has joined Frankfurt from Benfica in 2017 for a first loan contract. They plan to sign the contract at £ 5m before setting the price at £ 52m.
Barcelona LIVE News: Express Sport brings you the latest updates from the Nou Camp (Image: REUTERS)
The Messi Plan
Lyon will want to "reduce" the influence of Lionel Messi when they will host Barcelona in the first leg of the last leg of the Champions League against 16 without their talisman and captain Nabil Fekir.
Fekir will be suspended for the match, limiting Lyon's strike power, Bruno Genesio's team pressing defender Ferland Mendy to contain Argentine striker Messi and French striker Ousmane Dembele.
"Nabil Fekir is our captain and technical manager and we will have to do more to make up for his absence," said Genesio. "We will have to reduce the influence of Messi."
Although Messi has scored more than 100 times in the Champions League, Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar has confidence in teammate Mendy to control the debates at Groupama Stadium.
"I think Ferland Mendy is ready to face Messi," he said. "We are confident in the qualities of our team."
Barcelona LIVE News: Express Sport brings you the latest updates from the Nou Camp (Image: EPA)
Barca supports Valverde
Barcelona has slipped into the shadow of Real Madrid's big rivals on the European scene in recent seasons.
The five champion champions clearly believe that the current head coach Ernesto Valverde has the ability to reverse the situation in their favor, at least in the short term.
Valverde, who is looking for consecutive national titles, was extended from a contract Friday for a year, keeping him at Camp Nou until 2020.
The Catalan club had been eliminated twice at this stage of the competition and should defeat a Lyon team that did not compete against Paris St Germain in Ligue 1.
The French club, which hosts the first leg on Tuesday, defeated Manchester City in the group stage but his cause will not be helped by the suspension of captain and top scorer Nabil Fekir.
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