Zlatan Ibrahimovic gives his views on the Champions League clash between Manchester United and Barcelona

What's the story?

Former Barcelona and Manchester United star, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, gave his views regarding the clash between his two former teams, stating that it would be a battle between Paul Pogba and Lionel Messi.

In case you didn't know...

The football world has been familiar with Ibrahimovic's exploits in the various teams he has played for throughout his glittering career. Ibrahimovic has won numerous league titles in Italy, France, and Spain among other countries, and remains one of the greatest players from Sweden.

Meanwhile, Champions League football returns after three weeks for the first leg matches of the quarterfinal stage. Out of the four fixtures, Manchester United versus Barcelona arguably is the most anticipated one, and the two teams will battle for a place in the semi-finals over the next ten days.

The Catalan giants managed to get the better of the Red Devils the last two times these teams met in the competition. La Blaugrana defeated United in 2009 and 2011, winning the most coveted title in club football.

Things have changed since these two last met, as both Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola are not in charge of United and Barcelona respectively. The Lionel Messi led Barcelona will look to continue on a path to another historic treble, while Ole Gunner Solskjaer's men will fight desperately for the only possible trophy they can win in this campaign.

The heart of the matter

The former Sweden international gave his views regarding the clash and has claimed that it would be a battle between United star, Paul Pogba, and Barca's talisman, Messi.

"I think it'll be a very interesting match with two great teams," Ibrahimovic said as quoted by Marca.

"Two clubs with great history, who are very attractive to watch and have fantastic players in both teams. Messi obviously makes a difference in every game he plays and it's no secret, while Pogba does it at United."

"I think it will be a battle between Messi and Pogba, even though it is a collective sport, but these players will make the difference and it will be interesting."

What's next?

Ibrahimovic's two former teams will meet at Old Trafford on Wednesday night for the first leg of the quarterfinal fixtures.