Maradona: Messi is unfairly piled with pressure, what is there to compare? Barcelona Defends the Barcelona forward

Naples plays host to a meeting of the two European clubs most closely linked with Diego Maradona, yet ahead of the clash between Barcelona and Napoli, the iconic Argentine has moved to defend Lionel Messi, suggesting the 32-year-old has unfair amounts of pressure placed upon him.

The pre-match theme ahead of Tuesday's Champions League meeting has been very consistent throughout Napoli's team and fans, despite the very friendly welcome Messi was given upon arrival in the city.

The general feeling has been that whilst Messi is the best player in the world currently, he doesn't touch the god-like status Maradona has in the Italian city, and comparisons have been inevitable as a result.

"Leo is a great talent, a very good boy, but they want him to carry unfair amounts of pressure," Maradona explained in an interview with Il Mattino.

"He has to live his life and career knowing he is the best footballer, yet there have been comparisons for almost 20 years, what is there to compare?

"I have a beautiful memory of working with him with the national team, but I just hope he doesn't play well against Napoli."

Neapolitans still regard Maradona as a hero after he carried the club to their last Italian championships, and he discussed his relationship with the club.

"I gave everything to Napoli, and Napoli gave me everything," Maradona added.

"The match against Barcelona will be very difficult, but I have hopes that they will surprise me and give the fans a huge feeling of joy.

"I have a great love for Napoli, I had magnificent years with them, we won the title and the UEFA Cup, whilst I also won the World Cup."

When asked about his preference for the victory on Tuesday, Maradona couldn't have been clearer with where his allegiance is.

"Barcelona opened the doors of Europe to me, but I wrote my story in blue, my heart is with Napoli," Maradona confirmed.

"I was with Boca, a great club, and came to Europe with Barcelona.

"It was a dream for all Argentine footballers, but there I had to face many problems."