Lionel Messi in incredible form as he faces PSG

If there is one player Mauricio Pochettino would have ear-marked on his trip to Camp Nou with Paris Saint-Germain, it has to the GOAT himself, Lionel Messi. The Argentine spared no expense the last time he faced Pochettino, scoring two goals against Tottenham Hotspur in the 2018/19 Champions League group stages. Both men have come a long way since then, both in their own way.

While Messi has not been experiencing a season as good as he is capable of having — according to his own impossibly high standards, he continues to run riot almost every time he steps on to the pitch.

Following the disappointing result against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, Messi and co. hosted Real Betis in La Liga, and the six-time Ballon d’Or winner showed the Andalusian outfit no mercy. Not only did Messi score two out of the five goals Barça netted, but he ran the show, and was at the end of almost every single change created by his team.

Koeman: "Messi is very important. He is in fantastic form. Everything is easier with him on the pitch." pic.twitter.com/V1WNXaHqfd

— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) February 13, 2021

He received a 10/10 rating for this performance by WhoScored and was featured in their La Liga Team of the Week alongside Fransisco Trincao and Junior Firpo — both of whom were on the scoresheet.

Apart from that, Messi has also been in incredible form in the Champions League. Despite playing just four games out of a possible six, the Messi has created the most chances (23) and completed the most take-ons (16) in the competition.

Messi is truly in sensational form, and this could not have been a worse time for PSG to come against the legendary forward. That said, Kylian Mbappe, too, has been in some show-stopping form, creating the most ‘big chances’ in the UCL, while also continually headlining the French league.

All eyes on him as the two meet tonight.