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What's the story?
Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has hailed Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi by claiming that his presence makes Barcelona outright favourites in the UEFA Champions League.
In case you didn't know...
Despite being in his 30s, Messi is showing no signs of slowing down as he keeps on delivering sensational performances to win matches for the Catalan giants. Messi, who will turn 32 in a few months, is enjoying another stellar campaign.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who is leading the race for the European Golden Shoe with 34 La Liga goals, also leads the goalscoring charts in the Champions League with 10 goals. Messi is also one of the leading assist providers in Europe.
Barcelona secured their eighth La Liga in the last 11 years, following their win against Levante last weejend. The Blaugrana are well on course for another historic treble as they are strong favourites in the Copa Del Rey and in the Champions League.
On the other hand, Pochettino's Tottenham are enjoying an extended run in the Champions League and remain third in the Premier League table.
The heart of the matter
Pochettino realizes the threat of Messi in the Champions League and believes that Barcelona are favourites to lift the trophy, owing to the Argentine's presence.
Speaking in an interview, the Tottenham boss said:
"There are no favourites if we see what happened in the quarter-finals, but personally I believe that the favourites are the team that have Lionel Messi and that's Barcelona.
"If Messi wasn't there each semi-finalist would have 25 percent chance. Messi is the best in the world and his motivation is to fight for the Champions League. He has been the best for years and he will remain so until he wants.
"Of course we want to win it and we will be dissatisfied if we don't but, if we see the reality, I am more than satisfied."
What's next?
Barcelona will host Liverpool in their Champions League semi-finals first leg on Wednesday night at the Camp Nou before facing them in the return leg next week at Anfield.
Ajax and Tottenham will go head to head on the other semi-final fixture.
