Barcelona are set to cruise into the quarter final of Champions League after sealing a 3-1 away lead over Bayern Leverkusen, but the Catalan team’s coach, Josep Guardiola, warned his players that their opponent still can’t be taken lightly despite the second leg is being held at Camp Nou.
Guardiola believed that Leverkusen wont easily give up and their speed is something that the Blaurgrana players must keep an eye on as the tactician thinks that it could trouble his team.
The tactician noted that people may think things will obviously be much easier for Barca compared to previous seasons where, the Catalan outfit usually arrived at Camp Nou with the need to win the game. However, Guardiola doesn’t want his players to get over their head before the match even started, reminding that despite winning, Leverkusen’s performance in the second half of the first leg simply caused problems for the defending champion.
“Recently we have gone into the second legs of the round of 16 after a draw or a defeat This season we are in a better position than in previous seasons. However, while we dominated Leverkusen in the first half, they were very strong in the second half – and very fast. Leverkusen never give up. It looks like they’re dead and suddenly they hit back. So, they have their chances of qualifying, of course they do,” Guardiola explained.
Furthermore, Guardiola stated what his plan for this Wednesday game, which is to get as much ball possession possible and obviously handle the fast approach that Leverkusen have in their tools. The Spanish coach doesn’t want to take things for granted although the possibilities of his side falling out against the German champions is very slim at the moment, but in the Champions League mistakes could really becomes costly for any sides.
“I hope we have 70% of possession, I really do. But what concerns me is their speed. We have to control the match and make sure they don’t pick up speed,” Guardiola noted.
Guardiola surely doesn’t want his team getting complacent as the Catalan squad are eying to keep their journey in the Champions League going strong, considering things does looking difficult at the moment in the league with Real Madrid leading 10 points ahead. The Blaurgrana have the chance to retain their title this season, with their pretty convincing display in Europe so far, but just they must keep their focus on and avoid silly mistakes that sometimes happens in La Liga occurring.
