Winger Stephan El Shaarawy has admitted that Roma must come up with a strategy to stop Lionel Messi when facing Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals.
After topping a group involving Chelsea and Atletico Madrid and overturning a deficit to defeat Shakhtar Donetsk in the last 16, Roma must now face the tournament favourites with the first leg taking place at Camp Nou.
Roma are big underdogs to progress further in the competition, and El Shaarawy has acknowledged that the Italian club must find a way to "restrict the influence" of Messi over the two matches.
The 25-year-old told UEFA's official website: "We'll have to be alert in terms of how they knock the ball about, keep possession and the moves that Messi comes up with. He's the best player of the lot at the moment, and I'm not just talking about Barça but the whole world.
"We're up against the very best and every time he gets on the ball, he can make something happen. That's why we'll have to try to act accordingly and restrict his influence as much as possible."
Messi has scored 35 goals for Barca in all competitions this season.
Darren Plant
