Messi vs Mbappe: Argentinian Defender Explains Who Is Tougher to Play Against

Messi vs Mbappe: Argentinian Defender Explains Who Is Tougher to Play Against

Byron Pillay
updated at April 14, 2023 at 12:24 PM
In this article:
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FRA Ligue 1
France
  • Facundo Medina recently explained it was more difficult to defend against Lionel Messi
  • The RC Lens defender admitted that he was scared of hurting his Argentinian compatriot
  • Lens take on Paris Saint-Germain with the chance to cut their lead to just three points

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are among the two best attackers in world football at the moment, and defending against them is no easy task.

The RC Lens defender, Facundo Medina knows which one is tougher to mark, though.

Lionel Messi, Facundo Medina, Kylian Mbappe, Sport, World, Ligue 1, RC Lens, Paris Saint-Germain
RC Lens defender Facunda Medina admitted that it was harder to defend against Lionel Messi than Kylian Mbappe. Image: Baptiste Fernandez/ Michael Regan/ Aurelien Meunier
Source: Getty Images

The Argentinian defender will have to deal with both players when Lens take on Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 in their next fixture.

The previous meeting between the two sides saw Lens win 3-1 but Medina only had to defend against Mbappe on that occasion.

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Talking about the prospect of defending against the duo, the Argentine said defending against Messi was harder because they were both from the same country, PSG Talks reported.

"I think it is more difficult for me to mark Leo for fear of hurting him, of course," he said.

Medina added that Messi was obviously a difficult player to play against but the main concern was ensuring the veteran was not injured.

Ligue 1's tight title race

Lens will be looking to cut PSG’s lead at the top of the table with a win against Christophe Galtier’s men.

Les Parisiens lead the opposition club by six points, but that could be cut down to only three points with a defeat.

The top of the table looks like this:​ 

Team

Matches Played

Wins

Losses

Draws

Points

PSG

30

22

3

5

69

RC Lens

30

18

9

3

63

Marseille

30

18

7

5

61

Monaco

30

17

7

6

58

LOSC Lille

30

15

7

8

52

Rennes

30

15

5

10

50

Guardiola compares Haaland to Messi

Sports Brief also reported on Erling Haaland enjoying an amazing first season in English top flight football.

The Norwegian striker scored two goals against Southampton recently to take his league tally to 30 so far.

His performances have seen Pep Guardiola compare him to the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Sports Brief reported.

Authors
Byron Pillay photo
Byron Pillay
Byron Pillay is a sports writer and Head of the Department at Sports Brief (joined in 2022) with over 10 years of experience in community journalism and a degree in journalism from Caxton's Cadet School.