Andoni Zubizarreta has reflected on the familiarity between Milan and Barcelona, as well as his belief that the Italians will not feel the pressure of this week.
The Rossoneri host Barca this Wednesday in the first leg of their Last 16 Champions League clash, in what will be a fifth game between the two sides since the start of last season.
“In the knockout stages there are no favourites. Milan are a great team with a great history and they know how to compete in these games,” reflected club sporting director Zubizarreta to reporters today.
“The tie will be complicated, for sure.
“It is another thing if they have or not the players who are well known or not so well known, but those who wear that shirt will know what the great occasions are and will be prepared for these knockouts.
“At Milan they know us, but we also know them. Big clubs know how to compete and pick up the results. They are not affected by the pressure.
“Will we hold back for the return leg? We have a style of play, which is to attack and dominate the ball.
“Then the game will tell us what to do, it should be read, but we always try to find the opponents’ goal.”
It is a key stage of the season for Barca, with Real Madrid to come in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final too.
“First we focus on the Champions League, then the upcoming game in the League and then the Copa. We know that from February the schedule is accelerated, facing great knockout competitions that are decisive. But they are still just eight games and many things to play for.”
Zubizarreta flew out to New York discuss management strategies with Coach Tito Vilanova last week.
“It was very good, Tito is well, he is recovering very well. We need to be cautious, but we are walking and waiting every day and soon he will be here.
“He is aware of everything that concerns the team, he is more informed than we are, because he has a lot of time [laughs].
“He can analyse everything almost instantly, with the difficulty of distance, of course.”
