On Tuesday, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain faceoff in one of the most anticipated Champions league bouts of the quarterfinals.
Barcelona's 4-0 rout of Milan in the round of 16 restored their position as major frontrunners to lift the trophy and they will enter that match in Paris as the favorites.
"We will have to remain focused [against Barca] for 90 minutes. You have to stay calm when they have the ball," said Paris' Javier Pastore about the challenges of playing Barcelona. "Barcelona are a team that exploit the smallest error from the opposition to score. From that moment, it is very hard to come back."
Pastore also recognized that the greatest challenge will be to contain Barcelona's greatest weapon Lionel Messi. "He's the best player in the world!" Pastore said in an interview with his club's official website. "He shows it match after match. For us Argentines, he is a reference and an example. I am delighted to be playing against him, it will be a very special moment for me. There will be a little emotion there for me."
Pastore has had a solid Champions league tournament with two goals and two assists in five matches. His performances has been remarkably better than in the French Ligue 1 where he has only scored three and assisted on five in 26 matches.
The match takes place at 2:45 EST in Paris.