Chelsea defender Thiago Silva believes it is easier to deal with Cristiano Ronaldo than to face Lionel Messi.

“Sing the Blues” will open home to the visit of Manchester United in the Premier League game on Sunday. Which visitors have the Portuguese national star as a hope of breaking the net

Silva, who has faced Ronaldo 5 times, has only won once. And only one win against Messi has happened on both occasions for the national team, with Silva revealing that a duel with Ronaldo is something that Messi is easier to deal with.

“The slight difference is Messi, when he has the ball in a one-on-one duel it’s hard to stop,” Silva said.

“With Ronaldo, I’m not saying it’s easy. But one player can mark and the other can keep an eye on. Doing so made me more secure in the defensive line.”

“However, Messi and Ronaldo are both great players with great abilities, like Neymar, but I believe that defending Messi is more difficult than Ronaldo.”

“With Ronaldo, I am not saying that it is easy, but one player can mark and the other can monitor – doing that gives you more security at the back.

“However, Messi and Ronaldo are both players capable of incredible things – like Neymar. I believe, though, that it is harder to defend against Messi than it is against Ronaldo.”