Luis Enrique says he does not consider Barcelona or Manchester City favourites ahead of their Champions League last-16 tie, which kicks off on Tuesday.
La Blaugrana saw a run of 11 straight victories come to an end at the weekend, having lost 1-0 at home to Malaga, but can return to winning ways when they travel to the Etihad Stadium this evening.
“There isn’t a favourite in these type of elimination games. Everything will be demonstrated on the pitch. I don’t think there’s a favourite,” the Coach said at a Press conference.
“We went into the match against Malaga in our best shape but failed to break down their defence. However, it wasn’t because we were thinking about other things.
“If it’s a game in which they want the ball then it’ll be interesting, but it’s also fine if they want to give the ball. We'll see what happens.
“We’re not in the best position in the League and if we slip up, it’s bad, but there are many games left and we have the chance to close the gap.
“Now comes the Champions League, a competition which gives us two games to get into the quarter-finals.
“After a defeat, the best thing which can happen is for us to compete. That’s what will lead us to doing the right things.
“Comparing defeats is always relative. They’re losses and nothing more than that. Each [game] has its own characteristics.
“The match will depend on where the spaces are. We always want possession and thereafter we can create opportunities.
“Then, being decisive in front of goal will be the key to [winning] the game.
“Each game is different, and there’s no need to think about what happened [in our last match] but we want to win this match.
“This is a club, who always need extra things to decorate the Christmas tree.
“We’ve only lost one game. It’s true that a defeat can affect you, but we must keep fighting. We had won 11 games in a row and lost the next.”
