Barcelona Coach Ernesto Valverde warned not to underestimate Roma after Spanish papers positively celebrated the Champions League draw.

The headlines in the media today verged on the insulting, calling the quarter-final pairing ‘sweet’ compared to Real Madrid-Juventus and Sevilla-Bayern Munich.

Mundo Deportivo noted Roma were “the one they wanted, with the only handicap being the second leg in Italy. The Blaugrana believe they were the least dangerous team.”

Barcelona Coach Ernesto Valverde warned not to underestimate Roma after Spanish papers positively celebrated the Champions League draw.

The headlines in the media today verged on the insulting, calling the quarter-final pairing ‘sweet’ compared to Real Madrid-Juventus and Sevilla-Bayern Munich.

Mundo Deportivo noted Roma were “the one they wanted, with the only handicap being the second leg in Italy. The Blaugrana believe they were the least dangerous team.”

Catalan paper Sport even referred to the draw as “A bonbon. Luck smiles on Barça in the draw and they dream of the Treble. They pick Roma, the rival they desired in the draw for the Champions League quarter-finals.”

Blaugrana Coach Valverde warned against this assumption that Roma will simply roll over.

“Once you reach this stage of the tournament, it’s difficult to analyse the opponents,” he said in today’s Press conference.

“We didn’t want to play against Real Madrid or Sevilla, because we preferred sides from other leagues.

“Roma seem less strong in comparison with some of the other sides in the draw, but let’s not forget they finished ahead of Chelsea and Atletico Madrid in their group, and we already know how strong those sides are.

“As for the Treble, if we think too far ahead, we risk tripping up on the first step.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tickets Kit Collector