Sevilla Boss Claims Messi Is 'An Alien' Ahead Their Copa del Rey Final Clash With Barcelona
Sevilla boss Vincenzo Montella has claimed Lionel Messi is 'an alien' ahead of their Copa del Rey final Clash with Barcelona on Saturday evening.
Barcelona will be looking to defend their trophy they won last year and will be looking to take a step closer to completing a league and cup double in what has so far been a dominant season for the Catalans.
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They currently sit 12 points clear at the top of La Liga with just five games remaining and haven't lost a single game all season, needing just four more points to guarantee the league title.
As for Sevilla, they currently sit in seventh and are three points off a Europa League qualification place, meaning this will be their last chance of silverware this season after being dumped out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich in the quarter finals.
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Speaking ahead of the final (via the Daily Mail), Montella accepted Sevilla's status as the underdog heading into the game however revealed he still believes his side can cause an upset on the night should they limit Messi's impact on the game.
He said: "Barcelona are a great team, as we have seen in La Liga. They have almost won it, so they are favourites, but we have to think about ourselves and our attitude and quality and skills. We have to think how to face Barcelona that way.
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"I also think that Messi is an alien. I hope he will be that high tomorrow instead of on the Earth.
"We have to try to avoid him receiving the ball. We've seen that it is possible to win against Barcelona, but for this to happen we have to be focused throughout the whole game and not lose concentration at any moment."
It will be a replay of the 2016 Copa del Rey final where Barcelona won 2-0 thanks to two extra time goals from Jordi Alba and Neymar, although both sides have since evolved.
In their last meeting, 88th and 89th minute goals from Messi and Luis Suarez were enough for Barcelona to salvage a very late point, and we'll certainly be hoping for similar drama come Saturday night!
