Pedro: Facing Barcelona and 'best in the world' Messi is special for me

Nizaar Kinsella

Pedro: Facing Barcelona and 'best in the world' Messi is special for me image

Pedro is looking forward to Chelsea's Tuesday night Champions League match against Barcelona, where he will face "the best player in the world" in his former team-mate Lionel Messi. 

Chelsea prepared for the last-16 match by coasting to a 4-0 victory against Hull City in the FA Cup on Friday night, with Pedro getting the second goal. 

He was subsequently substituted at half-time with a number of key players like Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante not even in the matchday squad. Pedro says that facing Barcelona on the back of two wins will help Chelsea's confidence.  

"We are back in a good form, with confidence before this huge game as you say against Barcelona," Pedro said at Stamford Bridge. "For us it is good to be back in that sort of form. We've had two very good games now. We have to continue like this and prepare for the game against Barcelona in the same way.

"It will be strange for sure at the start but it will be good to see my old team-mates again who I played with for so many years. It will be a special game for me for sure. They are the same every year. They are playing great football in La Liga, they are in the cup final as well."

Pedro spent seven years at Barcelona winning 20 major honours including three Champions League titles while scoring 99 goals for the club where he began his professional career. 

Lionel Messi lined up alongside Pedro in Barcelona's forward line and the 30-year-old admits that his side will struggle to stop the Argentine star, although he has still never scored against Chelsea. 

"He’s always the same," he added. "What can I say of him that I haven't before? He is the best in the world, he always makes the difference and it will be very difficult to stop him."

Chelsea used the Hull game as an opportunity to rest players with the struggling Championship side having around 10 players unavailable for the Friday-night fixture. 

The Spaniard says the game was great preparation ahead of what will be a tough week, with Manchester United and then Manchester City away following the Champions League game. 

"It was a good moment to give rest to a lot of players," Pedro continued. "We've played a lot of games, here you don't rest at Christmas and it was a good moment to refresh a lot of players, not just Hazard, also Azpilicueta, Marcos [Alonso] and the perfect way to prepare.

Pedro Barcelona

Pedro added that Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata appears to be fully recovered from a back injury that kept him out for a month. 

"He is completely recovered," Pedro said. "He is desperate to get back in the team and I think he's back at 100 per cent."

Nizaar Kinsella

Nizaar Kinsella Photo

Nizaar Kinsella is a Chelsea correspondent with experience covering international football at the World Cup and European Championships. He is a trusted voice within the Chelsea community, attending almost every game and having spent many years doing so. Coverage on Goal.com has seen him invited onto CNN, BBC Radio 5 Live, TalkSport and BeINSports to comment on the turbulent world of the Stamford Bridge club. He previously worked for the Daily Mirror and BBC Radio Manchester, as well as a period working in the UK charity sector.