Bate vs. Barcelona: Lionel Messi Will Destroy Bate

Lionel Messi is on a tear right now, and this tear is going to continue, as he is set to dismantle Bate in this UEFA Champions League match.

Messi has two hat tricks in his last three games. The world's best player is simply unstoppable on this talented Barca squad, and Bate has no answers for the great Messi.

The 24-year-old Messi is going to be motivated, not by just this match, but also by the fact that he is on the precipice of history. With another hat trick, he will claim second place on the club's all-time scoring list.

Messi is just two goals behind Ladislau Kubala's total of 194 Barca scores.

Messi already has a La Liga best eight goals on the campaign. At his current torrid pace, Messi will be Barcelona's top scorer by campaign's end. Cesar Rodriguez is Barca's all-time leader with 235 goals from 1942-55.

His brilliant play is drawing praise from everyone—including his talented teammates. Here is Barca forward David Villa on Messi, as quoted on latino.foxnews.com:

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''He is doing incredible things. Each day, he surprises everyone with a new record; he continually outdoes himself. Nobody can compare with him, and we are very happy to have him wearing our colors.''

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Villa is right; nobody can compare with him. Also, no one can stop him—especially an outclassed Bate squad.