Zlatan Ibrahimovic: United vs. Barcelona a 'Battle Between Messi and Pogba'

Manchester United's UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash against Barcelona will be decided by who wins the battle between Paul Pogba and Lionel Messi, per Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The Los Angeles Galaxy striker has been team-mates to both players at their current clubs, and he told Barcelona's official website that despite the collective nature of football, Pogba or Messi will dictate the victor:

Ibrahimovic said:

"Two big teams, two big clubs playing against each other. Two clubs with great history and it will be exciting to see. Fantastic players in each team, let's see who will be strongest on the day.

"Obviously, Messi makes the difference in every game he plays; it's no secret.

"I think for United, you have Pogba making the difference there. It will be more of a battle between Messi and Pogba, even if it's a collective sport."

Ibrahimovic won La Liga, the FIFA Club World Cup and two Spanish Super Cups alongside Messi at Barca between 2009 and 2011. He joined United as a free agent in 2016 and helped Pogba and Co. win the UEFA Europa League and Carabao Cup in his first season.

Messi leads the race for this season's European Golden Boot by a considerable margin of six goals, having netted 33 times in La Liga this term, per Transfermarkt. He's scored 43 goals to go along with his 21 assists in 40 appearances across all competitions.

The Argentinian failed to score in only two of his last 17 games and has collected eight goals in their last five matches, while Pogba's rebirth under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has stagnated slightly of late.

United's boss spoke of Messi as a unique talent in the buildup to Wednesday's showdown at Old Trafford, but Solskjaer spoke confidently of his side's ability to mute Barca's key weapon:

Pogba responded well on the pitch after Solskjaer took over from Jose Mourinho in December. The 26-year-old bagged eight goals and five assists in the Norwegian's first nine league matches in charge, but he's failed to have a direct involvement in front of goal for four matches.

With Messi lighting the path, Barcelona have moved 11 points clear at the top of La Liga and are set to face Valencia in the Copa del Rey final in May.

While things are going smoothly for Ernesto Valverde at the Camp Nou, Solskjaer has had to deal with rumours that Pogba could join Real Madrid, per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News (via Hayters TV):

Barcelona have never won at Old Trafford in four visits, but Messi has beaten the Red Devils twice in four meetings, and Goal highlighted just how clinical those victories were:

Those two wins also happen to be the last two meetings between these teams, with Barca seeking to make it three in a row at the Theatre of Dream.