Barcelona v Man City: John Stones ‘not scared’ of facing Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp

JOHN STONES insists he is not afraid of facing Barcelona destroyer-in-chief Lionel Messi tonight.

Manchester City have been poor defensively this season, having failed to keep a clean sheet.

And with Barca maestro Messi back from injury their prospects of a decent Champions League result at the Nou Camp look slim.

Keep up to date with ALL the Manchester City news, gossip, transfers and goals on our club page plus fixtures, results and live match commentary by clicking HERE

But former Everton centre-back Stones says he is looking forward to the experience of playing against arguably the world’s greatest player who is repeatedly linked for an eventual reunion with his former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola at The Etihad.

Said the England man:  “It doesn’t scare me. I think you have to play against the best to see how you can deal with it and it always brings the best out in you as well.

“I see it as an exciting challenge and one I’m looking forward to.

“For me, Messi’s the best player in the world, easily. He’s one of a kind. I think we, as footballers, appreciate it even more when you come up against him and see what he can really do.

“I’ll be looking forward to that challenge. But it’s not just him, it’s everyone in that team. I think Suarez has taken his game to another level since he was at Liverpool.

“You can’t let your game slip or your focus. It’s something I’m working on, but that comes with age and games as well, experience. It takes time to learn the game and I’m still learning. There’s plenty more to come.”

The England defender also revealed he had grown up watching Messi play and win with Barcelona, confirming his admiration for the way they played.

He told Sport360: “It will be massive. Watching Barcelona as a kid, they’re a massive team with top players, a great stadium, and it will be big occasion for me, my family and the club.

“It was Messi himself and the style they play that I liked. Obviously, the gaffer [Pep Guardiola] used to work there and I was a big fan when he was there and the players he had.

“Now the new players have come in and they’re an exciting team, it will be great to come face-to-face with them.”