Iniesta hoping for repeat performance against Man City
WWW.FCBARCELONA.COM
“City have the players to turn this game around” said the FC Barcelona midfielder in his pre-match press conference
Andrés Iniesta knows that the team needs to be fully focused on Wednesday’s game with Manchester City, and that there will be plenty of time to think about the Clásico against Real Madrid once the game with the Premiership champions is over.
“We feel confident about these two games but we also know we’ll be playing against two very difficult opponents” he said after the final training session before the match. “Perhaps tomorrow’s game is more important. And what better way to prepare for a game like Sunday’s than with a win against City? On Thursday we’ll start preparing for Sunday.”
He adds that “City have the kind of players who can turn this tie around … We have to go out with the same intentions as we did for the first leg and show that we are a team that is intent on qualifying for the next round.”
On how to beat Man City
“They have players, especially in attack, who can change a game at any time. We can’t make the mistake of thinking that winning 2-1 in the first leg was enough. We need to control the game, get the ball rolling and make them run”.
“Every tiny detail matters in the Champions League, and the only thing we’re worried about right now is beating City”
“City are even more dangerous with Touré in the team. His physical strength is a very important quality and makes them more decisive. We hope we can minimise his virtues.”
On the good morale
“The team has been in good shape for some time. But the hardest part is upon us and we’ll need to have our wits about us more than ever.”
“We know how the team is performing, how each player is performing, and what are chances are. We know that if we do what we have to do, then we have every chance of winning the different titles.”
On Neymar
“He’s a very important player. Not just because of his goals and assists. I don’t interpret such gestures as a lack of respect. Each person deals with things in their own special way. The most important thing about this team is the mutual respect that we have for each other.”
On Sergio Busquets
“He has been an essential member of the team for some time because of all that he contributes to the side. It’s a shame he’ll be missing but we have other players that are quite capable of taking over from him in that position, as they have already shown in other games.”