With Atletico Madrid looking to initiate a title race in La Liga with their weekend trip to Camp Nou, the FC crew discuss what Barcelona need to do to fend off the challengers.
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone said there is "no strategy" you can use to stop Barcelona star Lionel Messi, although insisted his own in-form attackers Antoine Griezmann and Diego Costa can also make an impression in Sunday afternoon's top-of-the-table La Liga clash at Camp Nou.
Second-placed Atletico have been closing the gap on leaders Barcelona in recent weeks and it now stands at five points.
Messi scored a superb free kick in Thursday's 1-1 draw at Las Palmas and has 31 goals and 16 assists in all competitions this season, as well as a record of 27 goals in 35 meetings with Atletico.
Simeone told a prematch news conference that one could not design a plan to stop his fellow Argentine, however his side would look to control the game in a way that limited Messi's influence.
"[Messi] is extraordinary form," Simeone said. "There are no strategies which can control something which is impossible. Many things can happen during a game. We will need to bring the game to where we believe we can do them damage."
Asked whether his team were now realistic challengers for the title, Simeone recalled that very few teams have been able to finish ahead of Barca and Real Madrid in recent years, although his side had managed it when they won the 2013-14 title.
"It is not impossible to win La Liga, although in the last 14 years only Villarreal have been second, and we have won it," he said. "It is not impossible, as we did it, but it is very difficult. We want to reach the last five games of the season with a chance. If we can do that, we will have our possibilities."
Messi has been in fine form this season.
Atletico's attacking talisman Griezmann has 20 goals so far this term, including a hat trick in last weekend's 5-2 win at Sevilla and all four in Wednesday's 4-0 victory over Leganes.
Asked whether the France international, and reported Barca target, was at the level of Messi or current Ballon d'Or holder Cristiano Ronaldo, Simeone recalled that his start to 2017-18 had not been so good.
"[Griezmann] is an extraordinary player when he is at this level he is one of the best around," Simeone said. "Apart from his first few months at the club, and the start of this season, he has always been very consistent. The difficult thing is to maintain that consistency. Messi and Cristiano do not get tired of scoring goals, winning trophies, and that is the objective of those who are pushing up behind these two."
Simeone suggested his team's best chances of getting what would be a first La Liga win over Barcelona of his time in charge were from quick "transitions" to release Diego Costa on the counter-attack.
"Costa brings all we expected from him -- ambition, hard work passion and attacking power which gives us more possibilities," he said. "For the ball to reach Costa it must pass through Koke, Griezmann, [Angel] Correa... that makes us more direct. When the team achieve this transition it is dangerous. The [first] goal against Leganes was a ball from Koke, great vision. That is our play."
Dermot Corrigan is a Madrid-based football writer who covers La Liga and the Spain national team for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @dermotmcorrigan
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Source: espn.co.uk