Lionel Messi And Paulo Dybala Are Two Different Players – Allegri

Massimiliano Allegri says comparisons between Paulo Dybala and Lionel Messi will not have any impact on his forward when the Catalans visit Turin on Wednesday night.

“To start with, I can confirm he will be starting tomorrow night,” Allegri said at a news conference in Turin. “These comparisons are not a burden for him. He’s still young and has got to grow still.

“Whenever he plays against Messi, these comparisons are always made, but they are two different players also physically.

“They may both be left footed, but Dybala’s different. He started the season well and had a bit of a dip, but that is also part of his development. He’s important to us, like all great players are. If they play well, then it does good to the team and to the coach.”

“Barcelona have yet to lose this season — that’s 14 games without a defeat,” Allegri said. “They’ve not conceded in four Champions League games so it’s not going to be easy.

“This year’s going to be tougher than last year [in the Champions League]. We’ve got to take things one step at a time. Once we’ve gone through, then we will work on being ready for March. At their place, we played a good first half, but it’s been a negative characteristic of our season that we’ve not been very well organised in our away games and we’re conceding too many goals.

“We know we’re up against a hugely talented side with players who can decide a game in an instant, so we’re going to have to play a super game.”