Barça will be in the hat for tomorrow’s Champions League quarter final draw and out of the potential rivals, would prefer Porto or Manchester United.
Although they won’t say so publicly, behind closed doors Barcelona players are quite sure about who they would rather face in the quarter finals of the Champions League, after seeing off Olympique Lyon this week.
Man City and Juventus – the teams everyone dreads
Barça players agree unanimously about the teams they hope to avoid in the next round – Manchester City and Juventus. And more than one is praying for an ideal scenario – that City and Juve will be drawn together in tomorrow’s quarter final draw in Nyon. That would guarantee that one of the big favourites to lift the trophy would be eliminated and out of the way.
Juventus’ courageous turnaround to send Atlético de Madrid crashing out of the competition impressed the blaugranas, which is why they would prefer not to meet them – at least at this stage. For many in the Barça dressing room, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are the odds-on favourites to win the Champions League this year.
Porto and United
As for the teams which Barça would be relieved to meet in the quarter finals, Iker Casilla’s Porto or Manchester United look, on paper, the most accessible. The other possible opponents – Ajax, Tottenham and Liverpool are viewed as tough sides, although a better alternative to facing City or Juventus.
All of the eight teams left in the tournament won’t have long to find out their next rivals, all will be revealed at midday in Nyon.