‘City tie Barca’s biggest game’

Gerard Pique has claimed that Barcelona’s Champions League match against Manchester City on Tuesday is their ‘most important’ game of the season.

The Catalans travel to the Etihad Stadium for the first leg of their last-16 tie, in a repeat of last season, but head into the encounter on the back of a shock home defeat by Malaga in La Liga.

Nevertheless, the defender does not believe the result will prove a hindrance in their efforts to take control of their European assignment.

“[Sunday’s defeat [against Malaga] was no more painful as the one [against Real Sociedad] at Anoeta,” he told assembled journalists.

“The team have shown they can play good football and win. I don’t see it so hard [to take] as Anoeta because Madrid had also lost and we didn’t seize the opportunity to close the gap on them.

“In football you have games every three days, there’s no time to think [about anything else other than the next game] because after you finish one game, you’re preparing for the next.

“There’s a sense of revenge after a defeat at Camp Nou because you never forget [defeats there].

“We’re a big club, so when you lose a match, doubts arise after you win 11 straight games. Even if we get a good result [on Tuesday], some doubts will linger on.

“The team are at a high level, we’ll play at our stadium in front of our great fans, who will spur us on so we’ll look to take advantage of this, get a good result and play well.

“We’re used to defeats, but we don’t doubt ourselves. The team know they’re at a high level and we’ve shown it.

“Whenever we get to this stage of the competition, the [rest of the] season will go roughly down this path.

“In La Liga, we compete every year and arrive in February still in with a chance of winning [the title].

“In the Copa [del Rey], we’re always in the semi-finals or finals. Now comes the Champions League and our most important game of the season.

“We’re playing against a top-five team in the world. Progressing to the quarter-finals is now our most important objective, and that’s why it’s our most important game of the year.”

Tags Gerard Pique Manchester City
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