Barcelona's acting coach Jordi Roura immediately turned his attention to the Champions League after watching his side ease past Deportivo La Coruna.
Roura omitted several star players from his starting line-up against the Primera Division's rock-bottom side with an eye to overturning a 2-0 deficit against AC Milan at the Nou Camp in the second leg of their last-16 clash on Tuesday.
Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique and Andres Iniesta were among those rested last night but it mattered little as Alexis Sanchez put them ahead in the first half before Messi sealed the win late on with his 40th goal of the season after being introduced in the 75th minute.
It was a decent warm-up for Barca, who extended their lead at the summit to 14 points, but Roura knows their next fixture will be a different prospect.
"We're very excited to play the match and we're eager to compete," he said on the club's official website.
"We will give everything we have to fight back until the referee blows the final whistle.
"Logically, we have to attack. However, we shouldn't confuse our desire to fight back with haste, we need to find the necessary balance."
Roura, in temporary charge of the Catalans while Tito Vilanova undergoes cancer treatment, has not decided his starting line-up for the clash with the Italian giants.
However, he knows how he wants to approach the clash, adding: "We're fairly certain on how Milan will play and how we want to play. Afterward, we'll see how it all plays out."
Barca dominated from the first whistle last night, but had only had Sanchez's goal seven minutes before the interval to show for their efforts.
Messi and Iniesta were sent on to close out the victory in the second half and combined for the second goal in the 88th minute.
"This Saturday's three points are fundamental to our title bid," said Roura.
"The team played very well defensively. We managed to keep a clean sheet and for us that's important. It helps us ahead of the match on Tuesday."
Click here for completely free £10 bet with Sky Bet & £5 free every week
Post Comment
