Rajagobal: Players should not be intimidated by Barcelona FC

National head coach Datuk K. Rajagobal wants his players to remain steadfast and not be intimidated by the might of their opponent tonight, Barcelona FC.

The Spanish Primera Liga club giants take on Rajagobal's boys at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, tonight.

This is despite the fact that Argentine maestro Lionel Messi, voted FIFA World Best Player four times, would be at his best despite suffering from fatigue due to the hectic travelling schedule with his FC Barcelona team.

"I want the players to take this opportunity to give their full commitment while playing against one of the best football clubs in the world, just like how they played against English Premier League club Chelsea, recently," he said.

"I do not want the players to think of the big wins Barcelona FC had recorded in their previous matches like whipping Santos (8-0) and Thailand (7-1) before coming to Malaysia. I just want them to play their normal game," said Rajagobal.

Rajagobal said he might retain a majority of the players who had played against Chelsea... even if there are changes it might be one or two players," he said.

"For me, playing against this team (FC Barcelona) is also part of our, learning process and, most importantly, the local fans will get to be entertained by Saturday's match," he told reporters here after a training

session, here, yesterday.

FC Barcelona, dubbed the Los Blaugrana (blue and dark red team), marked their 2013/14 Asian Tour by whipping the Thai national team, 7-1 at the Rajagamangala National Stadium in Bangkok.

They will wrap up their Asian Tour with the match against the Malaysian side before flying home.

Meanwhile, about 3,000 Barcelona fans turned up at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil to watch their favourite stars in action during training, especially Lionel Messi, Neymar and Gerard Pique.

The one hour training session was conducted by newly appointed coach Gerardo Martino from Argentina who replaced Tito Vilanova who resigned to undergo treatment for cancer.