The Dutch playmaker said he thinks of the Catalans as individuals rather than one team.

"We are not afraid of playing against Barcelona," he told AS.

"They are doing well but we fear nobody. The difference at Barcelona is Messi. We are a team and they are individuals."

Sneijder also cited luck as another reason behind the splendid run of Josep Guardiola's men.

"They do have a lot of quality, and this season they have a great team. But they are also lucky, as they showed against Racing the other day," he said.

"This season they are having the luck that we had last term. There are moments when they do not play so well, but they have great individuals and luck."

Barcelona are maintaining a 12-point lead at the top of the Spanish league table, while their arch-rivals Real lie second with 44 points.