European Team of the Week: Lionel Messi Good, Stefan Kiessling Even Better

Stefan Kiessling is WhoScored.com’s European player of the week. The powerful German forward was in impressive form for Bayer Leverkusen in the victory over Hannover on Saturday, with Kiessling scoring one and assisting another in a 4-0 win at the BayArena.

The experienced frontman also won a hugely impressive 14 aerial duels over the 90 minutes, which contributed to his WhoScored.com rating of 9.71, a return that was enough to land him the man of the match award.

Bundesliga counterpart Shinji Okazaki partners Kiessling up front. The Japan international netted a first-half brace as Mainz 05 secured a 3-2 win at Freiburg. Like Kiessling, Okazaki also provided an aerial threat, winning 11 aerial duels in the victory, while his two tackles and solitary key pass rounded off a commendable performance from the Mainz star.

Once more, Lionel Messi features in the team of the week. Barcelona may have struggled over large periods against Valencia on Saturday, but Messi was on hand to make the difference when it mattered. "The Flea" provided the assist for Luis Suarez’s opener with barely a minute gone, before getting on the scoresheet himself in the dying embers of the encounter at Camp Nou.

Messi could have netted twice having struck the woodwork just after the hour mark. Three key passes, four successful dribbles and a 91.7 percent pass success rate contributed to what was yet another noteworthy Messi performance, with the Blaugrana ace again coming up trumps when needed.

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Henrikh Mkhitaryan stars on the left wing. It’s been a season to forget for the Armenian, who has failed to match his exploits from his debut campaign with Borussia Dortmund. In Jurgen Klopp’s first game since announcing his intention to leave the club at the end of the season, however, Mkhitaryan looked back to his best as Die Schwarzgelben secured a 3-0 win over lowly Paderborn.

The 26-year-old attacker netted the opener for his side just minutes after the restart—only his second league goal of the campaign—before turning provider for Shinji Kagawa with 10 minutes of the fixture remaining.

Three key passes and three successful dribbles helped him gain a WhoScored.com rating of 9.62 in the victory, as Dortmund improved their chances of securing a European berth this season.

Mkhitaryan’s Bundesliga counterpart Sebastian Rode stars in the middle of the park. While Bayern are in the midst of an injury crisis, Rode grabbed the opportunity to stake a claim for a regular starting berth with both hands. The 24-year-old netted the opener for Pep Guardiola’s side in a 2-0 win over Hoffenheim, with Rode effective when in possession.

The midfielder played three key passes in the victory and was successful with 93.4 percent of his 91 attempted passes.

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Lars Bender is the second of three Bayer Leverkusen players to feature in the XI this week. The tenacious midfielder provided the assist for Kiessling’s goal midway through the second half—that coming from one key pass—but it was his work off the ball that was most impressive. Bender made two tackles, four interceptions and four clearances to ensure that Hannover rarely threatened Bernd Leno in the Leverkusen goal, as Roger Schmidt’s side claimed all three points.

Teammate Kyriakos Papadopoulos also comes into the team having impressed at the heart of the Leverkusen back line at the weekend. The powerhouse Greek centre-back netted his second league goal of the season just minutes after half time, but like Bender, it was the defensive side of his game that stood out.

Papadopoulos won nine headed battles in the win over Hannover, as any aerial threat posed was repelled with ease, while his two tackles, two interceptions and nine clearances limited Tayfun Korkut’s side to just five shots on goal.

Montpellier’s Hilton partners Papadopoulos at centre-back. The experienced Brazilian headed his side in front after just four minutes against Caen, which proved to be the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win for the hosts. Hilton then led by example as captain, with his five interceptions, 18 clearances and eight aerial duels won helping Montpellier to a crucial victory in their pursuit of a European place.

Fellow Ligue 1 defender Christophe Jallet also stars in defence. The right-back made a commendable return to the starting XI following injury as Lyon were held to a 2-2 draw with rivals Saint Etienne in Sunday’s Derby Rhone-Alpes. The former PSG defender netted the equaliser for Lyon, while his four tackles and seven clearances helped guarantee a positive result for Les Gones.

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Chris Brunt completes the back line on account of his showing in West Brom’s surprise 2-0 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday. The Northern Ireland international registered the assists for goals by James Morrison and Craig Gardner to take his total in the Premier League this season to eight.

Meanwhile, five tackles, four interceptions and nine clearances highlighted Brunt's defensive ability and helped him land the WhoScored.com man of the match award at Selhurst Park.

Burnley’s Tom Heaton completes the European team of the week this week, despite being on the losing side in a 1-0 defeat at Everton. Were it not for Heaton, though, the Clarets would have lost by more, with the Burnley stopper making seven saves, one of which was to deny Ross Barkley from the penalty spot.

Three cross claims helped the 29-year-old gain a WhoScored.com rating of 9.19, with Heaton perhaps the only Burnley player to leave Goodison Park with his head held high.

All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, where you can find yet more stats, including live in-game data and unique player and team ratings.

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