It’s a front three which would strike fear into the heart of any defense in world football – and Barcelona’s talented trio have now set their sights on terrorizing Bayern Munich.
Luis Suarez, who scored a hat-trick in Saturday’s 8-0 thrashing of Cordoba, will line up alongside the mercurial Lionel Messi and Brazilian sensation Neymar in the first leg of the European Champions League semifinal on Wednesday at the Camp Nou.
So far this season, the South American strikeforce have scored 108 goals between them and are closing in on the Spanish record of 118 set by Real Madrid’s triumvirate of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain in the 2011-12 season.
Suarez has scored 17 goals in his past 16 appearances and 24 in total since arriving from Liverpool in a move worth a reported $128 million.
It’s an impressive return for a man who missed a large part of the season after being handed a four-month suspension for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini during last year’s World Cup.
The Uruguay striker didn’t make his Barcelona debut until October 25 in the 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid.
His arrival has taken the pressure off Messi, who has enjoyed yet another phenomenal season in front of goal, netting 51 times in all competitions.
Messi, a four-time world player of the year, continues to be the golden boy at Barcelona but he now has a supporting cast which is threatening to steal the show.
Neymar has also played a key role, scoring 33 times this season, 21 of those coming in La Liga.
The 23-year-old, who starred in Brazil’s run to the World Cup semifinal last year, has confounded his critics with a series of dazzling displays which have left the club on the brink of history.
“Luis and Ney are two of the best strikers in the world,” Messi told reporters ahead of the Bayern game.
“We have a very good relationship both on and off the pitch. Luis is important, he is a spectacular person and has adapted well to the dressing room.
“But I don’t consider myself anything more than just another player in a dressing room where there are lots of very important players. We are all the same in the dressing room. We all have the right to feel however we want, and we all want to win things.”
Barcelona could yet emulate the side of 2009 which won the treble of La Liga, the Spanish Cup and Champions League.
It sits top of the league with three games remaining and is two points ahead of arch rival Real Madrid.
Barcelona can also win the Copa del Rey should it overcome Athletic Bilbao in the final.
Not since the reign of Pep Guardiola, now the man in charge of Bayern, has Barcelona enjoyed the realistic prospect of such success.
During his 2008-2012 tenure, Barcelona established itself as the world’s top team playing a brand of football which had fans drooling.
The iconic “tiki-taka” passing of his team brought about a revolution within European football as opponents sought to copy the Barcelona blueprint.
He won 14 trophies in all, including two Champions League titles and three Spanish crowns.
Guardiola also spent 11 years with Barcelona as a player, winning six La Liga titles and one Champions League.
His homecoming will be an emotional one, though there is unlikely to be too much sentiment shown by his former players.
“It is normal that there is a homage for what he meant as a coach because he won everything here and gave a lot to the club,” said Messi.
“Once the game starts that will be left to one side and the fans will support the team to try and win as normal.”
Guardiola, like Messi, has little time for sentiment. He is hungry to win the Champions League title with Bayern and create yet another legacy.
The two men once enjoyed a fruitful working relationship but have, almost inevitably, become more distant since Guardiola left the club in 2012.
However, the awe in which Guardiola holds the Argentine magician does not appear to have subsided.
“There is no defense that can stop Messi. It is impossible,” Guardiola said on his return to the place he called home for so long.
“The way he is playing at the moment, you cannot stop him – defending with nine in your area or 11 pressing high.
“You can’t always be at your best physically during your career, there are ups and downs, but the way he has played the last four or five months there is no way to stop him. He is too good.
“Obviously you have to get close and try to ensure he receives the ball less, but there is not a system or coach to stop talent of his magnitude.”
Just two years ago, Bayern, under the guidance of Jupp Heynckes, thrashed Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate at the same stage of the competition before beating German rival Borussia Dortmund in the final to seal its own treble of trophies.
Bayern proved irresistible in that semifinal against Barca.
Thomas Muller scored twice in the first game at the Allianz Arena and was on target again in the 3-0 win at Camp Nou.
The scoreline sent shockwaves through European football and left Barcelona obliterated.
The scars have healed but the memories remain fresh.
“We need to prepare for the game knowing what it means playing in a semifinal of the Champions League and against a great team.,” Messi added.
“That semifinal hurt us a lot, but a lot of time has passed since. We come into the game differently, as do they, and it will be a different tie to that one.”
Barcelona have been in irrepressible form in recent weeks – winning 15 of their past 16 games in all competitions, scoring 14 goals in the last two matches combined.
Luis Enrique’s side has not suffered defeat since going down 1-0 to Malaga in February, but the toughest challenge looks set to come against a Bayern team which has already secured the league title in Germany.
“It’s difficult to find a weakness in Barcelona,” added Guardiola.
“We will try to maximize our strengths and find their weaknesses. Their players have been together a long time and know one another very well.
“No-one has ever bettered Barcelona’s possession. This team has been created for that. Tomorrow it will be tough to take the ball off them.
“But we will stick to our style and the players will do what the coach feels they have to do. We will see who reaches the final.”