Javier Mascherano says Barcelona are “excited” to face Juventus tomorrow, and shrugs off the Malaga defeat.
The Blaugrana are in Turin for the first leg of their Champions League Quarter-Final tie, but suffered a 2-0 defeat in La Liga on Saturday night.
“We’re very excited to play this game, because of what it means to play in the Champions League Quarter-Finals, and above all what it means to play a team like Juve,” Mascherano said in the pre-match Press conference.
“I think that, aside from the weekend defeat, the team has been in good harmony, playing well and we hope to continue that in the game tomorrow.
“To get through we’ll need to play two very good games, not just in defence but in attack. We hope to be a great team collectively and get a good result here before defining it in Barcelona.
“In the Champions League if you’re not at a good level, or you’re not on the level of your opponents, because the opponent will immediately let you know about it.
“We’re playing against a very powerful European team, a team which plays really well at home.
“They have fantastic stats and it’s clear they’ll play with a lot of strength. We need to be ourselves, to be recognisable in our style of play.”
There has been much talk of the Bianconeri gaining revenge for their defeat in the final in 2015, but Mascherano doesn’t think that’s the case.
“I don’t think that exists, because you can’t bring back a game you’ve lost, but it’s clear if you’re a fan you’d like to go back to that game a little.
“But if you look at their team, you’ll see that half of them aren’t there anymore, they’re gone.
“There’s the same Coach [Max Allegri] and we’ve also changed some players, so no.
“We’re here to try and play a good game, and especially to look for the best version of ourselves which can bring us to a good result.”
