Marcelino: I have no key to stop Lionel Messi
The Valencia coach will not be sitting on the bench after he was hit with a two game ban
He admits never having beaten Barcelona is a thorn in his side
Marcelino García Toral, Valencia's coach, says he does not have the key to stopping Lionel Messi ahead of Sunday's game at Mestalla. He says nobody has managed to stop him completely.
"I don't have they key to stop him because I'm not smarter than everyone else, and I don't play. It's easy to make opinions over how to stop him, we will try to stop him appearing as much as possible and limit him to one zone," said Marcelino.
The coach also spoke about the game at large. "Barcelona always have the obligation to win but we can and want to win too," he added, saying there is only "three points" at stake and Valencia are "competing against a great team".
"It's been the simplest week to prepare for because the motiviation and hope are at their fullest and we are convinced about our chances as we should be. We have the belief, we want to win and we will try to do so."
Not having beaten Barcelona is not "a little thorn" but a "big thorn" he said, admitting that during his time as a coach he has coincided with "the best Barcelona."
