Javier Mascherano has told Arsenal to be prepared for Lionel Messi as it could be a repeat of last year's four goal thriller.
The Catalans will host Arsenal on Tuesday at the Nou Camp in the Champions League second round second leg tie. With Arsenal holding a 2-1 lead from the first leg, Barcelona will be going all out to attack in order to progress to the next round.

In the corresponding fixture last season, Arsenal were simply destroyed at Nou Camp with Lionel Messi emerging as the hero with four magnificent goals. Nonetheless, Messi will again be in the limelight when both sides meet this week and Mascherano has warned Arsenal to expect something magical from the little Argentinean.

He said: "Nothing surprises me about Leo. He can repeat what he did last year or he could do even better

"Nobody can put a limit on the levels he can reach."

Mascherano also insisted that a 1-0 win would be enough for them to win the tie.

He said: "A 1-0 win would serve our purposes but if there is one thing that you can guarantee about this team it is that it is never satisfied.

"We will go out and try to win the game by the biggest margin possible. This match will go a long way to marking our season. We have to treat the game as a final.

"Regardless of whether it is the most important game of the season or not, you can always guarantee we will play it exactly the same way - if we have to go down, then we will go down playing the Barcelona way.

"They are not stupid. They have an advantage and will try to protect that lead. We can't make the mistake of thinking, because they know how to play attacking football, that they don't know how to defend."