Tottenham Hotspur coach Mauricio Pochettino believes that Lionel Messi's presence makes the difference for Barcelona in the Champions League.
The Argentine coach identified the Blaugrana as the front-runners to clinch the trophy, with his compatriot giving them the upper hand.
"There are no favourites if we see what happened in the quarter-finals, but personally I believe that the favourites are the team that have Lionel Messi and that's Barcelona," he told Goal.
"If Messi wasn't there each semi-finalist would have 25 percent chance.
"Messi is the best in the world and his motivation is to fight for the Champions League," said the Spurs boss.
"He has been the best for years and he will remain so until he wants.
"Of course we want to win it and we will be dissatisfied if we don't but, if we see the reality, I am more than satisfied."