Lionel Messi News: Argentine weighs in his opinion on Barcelona's Champions League against Lyon

What's the story?

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has given his opinion on the Catalan giants' UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draw against Lyon.

In case you didn't know...

The draw for the Round of 16 stage of the Champions League was made on Monday, offering fans an array of mouthwatering fixtures.

Current title holders Real Madrid will lock horns with Ajax while Liverpool will tackle Bundesliga outfit Bayern Munich.

Premier League giants Manchester City will go head-to-head with Schalke while a Mourinho-less United will face Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain.

While Barcelona will take on Lyon, Juventus will lock horns with Atletico Madrid. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur will face Borussia Dortmund and Porto have been drawn to face Roma.

The heart of the matter

Lionel Messi has given his verdict on the UCL draw during a ceremony that saw him win the Golden Shoe for being the top scorer of the 2017/18 season.

The Argentine said (via MARCA), "Lyon was not the strongest name [in the hat], but it will be complicated."

"They were equal when they played [Manchester] City; they will be difficult to advance against.

"It's a long way away, a lot of things can happen between now and February. We don't know how they're going to be, how we're going to be, but we know it's going to be a complicated game."

The Golden Shoe was Messi's fifth so far, making him the player who has won the accolade the most times. The record was previously shared by the Argentine and Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo.

"I did not expect all of this when I started," said Messi. "My dream was to be a professional, to be able to succeed in football."

What's next?

Barcelona are scheduled to face Celta Vigo in LaLiga on Saturday. While it's good on Messi's part to not take the French side lightly, most people would happily bet on Barcelona ousting Lyon to advance in the UEFA Champions League.