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John Hartson: 'Victor Wanyama can subdue Lionel Messi'

Former Celtic striker John Hartson believes that Victor Wanyama has the qualities to man-mark Lionel Messi when Celtic play Barcelona on Tuesday night.

Former Celtic striker John Hartson has insisted that midfielder Victor Wanyama can play an important part in helping the SPL club secure a result in Barcelona on Tuesday night.

Hartson was part of the Celtic side that drew with Barcelona in 2004 after manager Martin O'Neill opted to man-mark Ronaldinho, and Hartson believes that Neil Lennon could use his Kenyan midfielder to similar effect against Lionel Messi in the Nou Camp.

Hartson told The Scotsman: "People say you can't man-mark Messi, but some people said the same about Ronaldinho. When we went to the Nou Camp for that game in 2004, Ronaldinho was the best player on the planet. He was the equivalent of Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo now.

"I don't know if that will be Neil's tactic on Tuesday night with Messi. Wanyama could do it. He's big, strong and intercepts things. He has come on leaps and bounds recently.

"He's good with the ball, clever. He's a big unit, a good athlete. He's a bit like Bobo Balde, but better on the ball than Bobo was."

The 21-year-old has scored nine goals in 55 appearances for Celtic.

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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona13110240122833
2Real Madrid1283125111427
3Atletico MadridAtletico137511971226
4Villarreal127322319424
5Osasuna136341720-321
6Athletic Bilbao135531913620
7Real BetisBetis135531412220
8Real Sociedad135351110118
9Mallorca135351010018
10GironaGirona135351617-118
11Celta Vigo135262022-217
12Rayo Vallecano124441313016
13Sevilla134361218-615
14Leganes133551316-314
15AlavesAlaves134181422-813
16Las PalmasLas Palmas133371622-612
17Getafe13175811-310
18Espanyol123181122-1110
19Real ValladolidValladolid132381025-159
20Valencia11146817-97


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