Alvaro Morata wary of Lionel Messi threat

Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata is fearful of the threat from Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi ahead of their Champions League round of 16 tie this month. The Blues ended a run of two winless games with a 3-0 triumph over West Bromwich Albion.

In an interview with Movistar, Morata warned his teammates that Messi can’t be stopped on the playing field, and the Blues may have to play a defensive game at Stamford Bridge in order to avoid conceding an away goal which often proves costly in the knockout stage, he said: “Messi can’t be stopped. If we can get a good result here, we have to play a defensive game with spaces and try to bother them as much as possible.”

Messi has not scored in any of his previous eight meetings with Chelsea, which happens to be his worst scoring record compared to any other side, but the Argentine still remains the main threat from the Catalan ranks, having once again contributed significantly towards the club’s position at the top of the Spanish La Liga.

Meanwhile, Morata spoke about his time with Los Blancos, and admitted that he did not complain being the second-choice striker, given the club were closest to his heart. Nevertheless, the Spaniard moved on in order to progress further on the individual basis for club and country.

He said: “I played lots in my home, with my team, with my friends. We won the league and Champions League. I played lots of games, but always with the plan B. I never asked to be a starter, Madrid is another planet. Life doesn’t end when you leave Real Madrid, but I am still a fan of Real Madrid.”

Morata had been sidelined for the past month with a recurring back problem, but he managed to make a timely return for the Baggies game on Monday night, where he contributed an assist for Eden Hazard coming on as a substitute.