Messi, Xavi believe it is all to play for in their tie against Bayern

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi revealed he was fit and healthy in their Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern and promised to help his side bounce back from devastating defeat at Allainz Arena.

The Spanish giants were dismantled 4-0 by excellent German side and have a mountain to climb in their second leg at Camp Nou to qualify. Messi was a marginal figure at Allianz Arena, as if he had not returned to his full fitness after recovering from a hamstring problem. However the Argentinian wizard dismissed the rumours of him being unfit by stating: “I felt good. I was well enough to play. We have to lift ourselves for the second leg and La Liga. We will bounce back. They were a lot stronger than us, physically superior. It is a pity what happened but we have to move on.”

Barca playmaker Xavi also stays confident Barca has a chance of progressing into the Champions League final, should they return to their best. He said: “We are Barca and we have got to try to get to the final. We need to play a great game but we know at the same time that it is practically impossible.”

Xavi also believes the Germans deserved the credit for producing quite an outstanding performance. He said: “They were quicker than us and it was like a siege. We expected it to be like this. They are very strong physically and they were better than us. When you make mistakes in the Champions League, you pay the price. They were stronger than us. I do not know why we did not attack well. They have extraordinary players like (Arjen) Robben and they just found it too easy to get past us.”