Inter Milan coach Luciano Spalletti said Wednesday that Barcelona, who are on Tuesday's fourth round of the Champions League, are in danger even in the absence of Lionel Messi.
The best player in the world has been missing 5 times since breaking through the arm during a league match against Sevilla on October 20, but the Catalan team won four games in various competitions in the absence.
Although the three-week period in which Barcelona have said Messi will be absent has not been broken, coach Ernesto Valverde has been included in the squad for Tuesday's match, without making it clear whether he will participate or not.
At the press conference on Monday, Spalletti said: "Messi is a cherry on a cake, which is the shirt of children who dream of becoming footballers, but Barcelona has shown that even in his absence he has the imagination to improve his performance. What makes the difference. "
"If we play Messi, it's a concern for everyone, but the approach is not different, we are facing one of the strongest teams in the world, we have to be better in reading the match, but we will cover areas, not players."
Barca won the Camp Nou 2-0 win over Inter in the third round and top the Group B with nine points, three points behind second-placed Italy. Tottenham and PSV Eindhoven each have one point ahead of their meeting in London, Tuesday.
Spalletti said that Barcelona is one of the top candidates for the European title this season, wondering: "Did (Juventus coach Massimiliano) Alegre said that Barcelona is the favorite candidate to win the title?
"It's the best team to win," he said, but the match would be "the right moment to show our value" after seven consecutive wins in the Italian league, making him the second behind Juventus, the champion of the last seven seasons.
