Lionel Messi admits that Barcelona need to raise their level after two below par performances for Tuesday's El Clasico in the Spanish Cup against a Real Madrid side desperate for a morale boost.
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Barca made an almost faultless start to the season only dropping points in the league before Christmas with a 2-2 draw with Real Madrid at the Camp Nou, while they also lost against Celtic in the group stage of the Champions League.
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But now signs of tiredness are beginning to set in.
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"Against Madrid we will have to produce our best football as we will be against a great rival. We need to be at our best in order to get into the final," said Messi, ahead of the semifinal showdown in the Catalan capital with the scores 1-1 from the first leg at the Bernabeu.
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The teams then go head-to-head again in the league at the weekend but with Madrid trailing Barca by 16 points in the table there is little more than pride at stake.
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While they were expected to roll over AC Milan last week in the Champions League in typical fashion, in the end they were unable to break down a well- organised but not remarkable defence as they lacked the movement and the speed of passing.
he is a wounded after AC Millan's defeat