Celtic battling Messi, woeful record in Spain

Group stageTodaySpartak Moskva vs Benfica 18:00 SS3Man United vs SC Braga 20:45 SS3FC Nordsjælland vs JuventusShakhtar Donetsk vs Chelsea 20:45 SS5BATE Borisov vs Valencia Lille vs Bayern 20:45 SS6Galatasaray vs CFR 1907 Barcelona vs Celtic 20:45 SS7MADRID – Celtic will have to reverse a horrible record in Spain and cope with a Barcelona side fired by the scintillating form of Lionel Messi if they are to reap an unlikely reward from Tuesday’s Champions League Group G clash at the Nou Camp.The Scottish champions, second in the group behind the 2009 and 2011 winners after two matches, have never managed a win on 12 trips to the Iberian nation, slumping to nine defeats and three draws.Favourites Barca are unbeaten in 17 European home outings, winning 14, going back to a 2-1 defeat against Rubin Kazan in October 2009.Their Argentine World Player of the Year Messi, top scorer in Europe’s elite club competition the past four seasons, netted his 21st hat-trick for the club on Sunday in a 5-4 La Liga win at Deportivo Coruna.The unstoppable 25-year-old took his tally in 2012 for club and country to 71, leaving him only four short of the record of 75 set by Brazil great Pele in 1959.Celtic coach Neil Lennon, who played twice for the club at the Nou Camp and came away with two draws, knows the size of the task but said he believes his side is capable of preventing Barca from making it three group wins out of three.“I’m not saying we’re going to go there and get hammered,” Celtic coach Neil Lennon was quoted as saying in the Scotsman newspaper on Sunday.“We’re going to try to get something out of the game, but we know how monumentally difficult that will be,” he added.“They can pin you back for long periods but I still want us to have some kind of outlet where we can get a foothold in our attacking half and create chances.

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Celtic battling Messi, woeful record in Spain