Champions League

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Apr 2, 2013 at 7.45pm UK

PSG Paris Saint-Germain
2-2
Barcelona

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: We can beat "best ever" Barcelona

By Subhankar Mondal, Reporter | 02 April 2013

Zlatan Ibrahimovic acknowledges the quality that Barcelona have but is confident that Paris Saint-Germain can beat them at home on Tuesday.

Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has expressed his confidence of getting the better of Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-final first-leg tie at home on Tuesday.

However, the 31-year-old admits that the Blaugrana are "probably the best team ever on this planet" and acknowledges the threat of Argentine forward Lionel Messi.

"I think it'll be a tough game, they're probably the best team right now and probably the best team ever to have played on this planet," he told reporters. "Everyone knows them, they like to keep the ball.

"We want possession too as we're at home, but I think it'll be exciting to find the solution how to play against them, to try to disturb them as much as possible. It's easy to talk before the game, but you have to try and do it on the pitch too.

"For sure, Messi is the best player in the world right now. He's won the World Player of the Year award in the last few seasons. Perhaps they should just call it the Messi award instead of the Ballon d'Or. I think he'll win it again for the next couple of years."

Ibrahimovic played for Barcelona in the 2009-10 season before leaving them on loan for AC Milan, eventually joining PSG last summer.