He told reporters during his pre-match press conference: "I think Messi is extraterrestrial, I hope he isn't on Earth tomorrow. When he has the ball it is difficult to counteract it, it is important that he doesn't get the ball".
Turning his attention to their opponents as a whole, Montella was full of praise: "Barcelona are very strong, they have almost won the league. They have many virtues. We must think about our qualities [though] and approach the game with our spirit".
"It is a very important game. We have a great chance of winning a title against a formidable team and entering the Europa League before the end of the season".
However, when asked about his possible starting XI, the Spaniard remained coy: "I have an idea of the eleven, not it all yet. Tomorrow will be a difficult day for me because I can only choose 18 players and one of them will have to watch from the stands".
The Copa del Rey final will kick-off on Saturday at 21:30 (CET).