Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman praises Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Champions League showdown

Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman praised both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the blockbuster UEFA Champions League Group G clash between Barcelona and Juventus. When asked by reporters to pick the best between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Koeman refused to be drawn into the debate and said the following:

"I think it’s fantastic these two players have been at the top for so long. The best players in the last 10-15 years, that’s incredible. I think it’s a great compliment to both players. They are different, but they have incredible stats about scoring goals, about scoring hat-tricks, about winning prizes.

"I think it’s not nice to say who is better, both are incredible. I admire both players because they have given us so many nice matches with great goals. Let’s hope we can enjoy them both tomorrow night."

🗣️ Ronald Koeman on Cristiano:"Cristiano is still one of the best, and he works every day to continue. We must have respect for him and try to keep possession of the ball so that he cannot put us in danger." pic.twitter.com/WANDqHePPU

— TeamCRonaldo (@TeamCRonaldo) December 7, 2020

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Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman defends Lionel Messi's form ahead of the clash against Juventus

Ronald Koeman will be hoping that Lionel Messi gets back to his best soon.

Lionel Messi has not been at his best for Barcelona this season, struggling to make the kind of impact he usually does. On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo has started the season strongly and is showing no signs of slowing down.

Along with Alvaro Morata, the Portuguese superstar has undoubtedly been Andrea Pirlo's most important player this season.

Koeman, however, defended Messi's form for Barcelona, saying:

"I think our attack is still very dependent on Messi. He’s very important, a lot of plays come from Leo’s feet. I’m in agreement with him that sometimes it’s easier to blame Messi, but I don’t think he has made mistakes in defense.

"I think it’s something to do with the whole team. We need to improve and be more aggressive in defense."

With Barcelona missing key players like Ansu Fati and Ousmane Dembele on the wings, the onus will once again be on Lionel Messi to create attacks and break down the Juventus defense.

Messi and Ronaldo meet again on Tuesday 🍿 pic.twitter.com/7oSQxhXuVJ

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 7, 2020

The top spot in Group G is on the line, and Ronaldo will be determined to get one over Barcelona and his longtime rival Lionel Messi. Both stars will be hoping to put their best foot forward and inspire their respective teams to victory on Tuesday night.