'Barca are one of the strongest teams in the world with talent in every position'

Messi will miss the game after fracturing an arm in the victory over Sevilla on Saturday butd speaking ahead of Wednesday's clash, Spalletti remind his charges that they will still be facing one of Europe's best sides.

 “When you come up against an opponent like this, one of the strongest teams in the world with talent in every position, it’s normal not be favourites," he explained.

"However, we must be confident, without drifting into arrogance due to the good run that we’re having. We must put in a performance of great effort and mental substance.

"We should take onto the pitch all of the love that we have for this sport and all the sufferings of our fans from the last few years. We will treat this as a key match, hugely important."

Naturally, attention quickly turned to Messi's absence and whilst Spalletti admitted it would weaken the Spanish champions, he insisted he wouldn't be getting carried away.

“For those in my profession, you can’t change your attitude just for one player. It’s clear that Messi is a different footballer. When you think you’ve seen it all in football, he makes you see things differently," he enthused.

"Barcelona would obviously be stronger with him, but they still have a lot of top players so we must make sure that we’re not dominated by the opposition. The most important thing tomorrow evening will be to control the ball in the right manner.

"We must show ambition during these matches and play teams of this level without dropping off. It all starts from having the right attitude to face up to what happens during the course of a game. However, my team is well aware of the task in hand and won’t be surprised.”