Lionel Messi moves so skilfully that there's no point trying to chase the Barcelona star down, Spartak Moscow wing-back Dmitry Kombarov said.
Spartak host Barcelona in the Champions League Tuesday with Barcelona able to qualify for the knockout stages with a win and the Russians needing all three points to stay in the competition.
"He's such an omnipresent player. In ten seconds he can pop up on the other wing. There's probably no point running after him," Kombarov said.
Spartak led 2-1 at the Camp Nou in September before two Messi goals gave Barcelona the win.
Kombarov suggested the difference between success and failure in Moscow would be Spartak's disciplined approach.
"The main thing is to play in a disciplined way from the back, to help each other," he said.
Spartak will be without forward Artem Dzyuba and midfielder Aiden McGeady, both injured, while first-choice goalkeeper Andriy Dikan is set to return from a shoulder problem that has kept him out of action since late September.
Barcelona miss forward Alexis Sanchez, who is injured.