Lionel Messi has compared Barcelona 's mouthwatering clash against eternal rivals Real Madrid later this month to the bitter South American rivalry between Brazil and Argentina . Barca host Real in the second El Clasico fixture of the season on March 22 - with both teams tussling for the La Liga title . The Catalan club currently hold a one-point advantage over Carlo Ancelotti 's side with just 12 games of the season remaining . Lionel Messi has compared Barcelona 's fierce rivalry with Real Madrid to Brazil versus Argentina . Messi ( pictured , centre , playing for Argentina in 2008 ) has played in many tense encounters against Brazil . Messi ( pictured , centre , playing for Barca in 2011 ) has scored more El Clasico goals than anyone in history . The diminutive No 10 ( centre right ) enjoyed a BBQ with his Barcelona team-mates on Wednesday afternoon . Messi spoke in an interview with FourFourTwo . And looking ahead to the Nou Camp encounter Messi , who has scored more Clasico goals than anyone else in the history of the fixture , describes the occasion as one to relish . 'The Clasico , which is coming up later in this month , is obviously a special game , ' he told FourFourTwo Magazine . 'It 's important for what it means to everyone involved , from the players to the fans . 'It 's an event all around the world . As a player , though , you have to treat it like any other game . Like any derby , there 's something extra to the game . 'They 're amazing to play in and it 's a fixture I 've been very lucky to score a lot of goals in . ' I think on the international stage , Brazil vs Argentina is similar to Real Madrid v Barca . Both matches involve big teams who have a great rivalry , the main difference being that for the former it 's all about the countries , while Barcelona is n't just about the city , but the fans from afar who have feelings for the club . ' The 27-year-old is enjoying another wonderful season at Barcelona having netted an incredible 41 goals so far . Messi scored a hat-trick in Sunday 's 6-1 La Liga win at home to Rayo Vallecano - his fifth treble of the campaign . Speaking about what makes him so special , the dimunitive No 10 insists his genius is all instinctive . 'Some people say my style of play is innate , but I 'm not sure if that 's me , or not . Honestly , I do play on instinct , ' he added . 'On the pitch , I ’ m always looking for the best move or decision at any given time . I never want to do what the opposition would be expecting . ' Messi ( centre ) scored a hat-trick as Barcelona won 6-1 at home to Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Sunday . To read the full interview with Lionel Messi it is available in either print of digital format via the FourFourTwo Magazine website .
Barcelona entertain eternal rivals Real Madrid in La Liga on March 22 . Barca currently sit one point above Real at the top of the table . Lionel Messi has scored more El Clasico goals than anyone in history .