MX23RW : Monday, September 30 09:16:56| >> :120:10126:10126:

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.

ID:51174: cacheID:51174:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2358:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Celtic players celebrate
Read Next:
Celtic put five past St Mirren
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Bills
10-35
Ravens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona87012591621
2Real Madrid85301761118
3Atletico MadridAtletico8440124816
4Athletic Bilbao8422128414
5Mallorca842286214
6Villarreal74211414014
7Osasuna84221213-114
8Real BetisBetis833287112
9Rayo Vallecano824298110
10Celta Vigo83141515010
11AlavesAlaves83141112-110
12GironaGirona8233911-29
13Sevilla8233810-29
14Real Sociedad822467-18
15Getafe814356-17
16Leganes814359-47
17Espanyol8215712-57
18Valencia8125513-85
19Real ValladolidValladolid8125417-135
20Las PalmasLas Palmas7034813-53


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!