Tuesday 29 September 2015 11:29, UK
Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic says his team-mates will be spurred on by adversity after losing Lionel Messi to injury.
Barcelona play their second Champions League Group E clash against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, having drawn their first game 1-1 away against Roma.
Messi pulled up injured against Las Palmas on Saturday 10 minutes into the first half, and is expected to be out for seven to eight weeks with a knee injury.
It is the first time the Argentina international will miss a Barcelona game due to injury since November 2013.
But Rakitic believes there is enough strength in the side - and says the team is desperate to keep on winning for their missing star forward.
"Of course it will affect us, but it also motivates us," the 27-year-old told a pre-match press conference.
"We want to win these games for him, to cheer him up and boost him to recover as soon as possible. A new door has opened and we have to group together to take on this new challenge.
"Leo is very important to us, he alone can change so many things, but we know what we have to do and although it hurts to have lost the best player in the world, the team is still feeling very confident.
"The idea will not change. We have players that can continue to do the same job. We have a tight-knit squad and we'll all be putting in 100 per cent."
The Croatia international spent three-and-a-half seasons in the Bundesliga for Schalke 04 and did, however, warn against complacency against a side currently sitting fifth in Germany's top tier.
"We are all looking forward to the game at the Camp Nou," Rakitic added. "We want to show the fans how much we are doing things as well as we possibly can.
"Bayer Leverkusen are a very strong team. They are physically tough and play top quality football. They are sure to want to play their game and their match, so we are going to have to be careful.
"It's the second game of the group stage and we want to win to send a message out to the people that we're here. It'll be a very difficult game and we'll have to perform well in every aspect."
