SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Barcelona dare to believe mission impossible is possible

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Barcelona first struggled to come to terms with their shock 4-0 defeat to Paris St Germain in the Champions League last 16 first leg but have sparkled in their last two games and are daring to believe they can defy history by reaching the quarter-finals.

Barcelona dare to believe mission impossible is possible
(Reuters)

3 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Skip to article content

After scraping 2-1 wins over Leganes and Atletico Madrid in the immediate aftermath of their humbling in Paris, the five-times European Cup winners have doled out a 6-1 thrashing to Sporting Gijon and a 5-0 hammering to Celta Vigo.

Although no side has ever managed to claw back a four-goal deficit in the second leg of a Champions League tie, the form of Neymar and Lionel Messi has convinced some Barcelona fans that history could be made at Camp Nou on Wednesday.

Neymar and Messi both starred in an awesome attacking display against Celta on Saturday and after Messi struck his second goal, Barca's fifth, supporters began chanting "Yes we can!".

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Coach Luis Enrique, who announced last week he will leave the club at the end of the season, said it was not just fans who believed Barca were capable of what to date has proved an impossible job.

"I have unbreakable faith we can win the tie," the coach told reporters.

"We're going to risk everything, we want to create an atmosphere in which the fans will help us even more than they normally do.

"I think we've hit top form before a really difficult game but we're going to have a chance to go through. It looks like a lost cause but if we do things well who knows what could happen? We'll keep trying until the last minute."

The coach is known for his expressions of unabashed confidence to the press but he did admit the drubbing at the Parc des Princes had kept him preoccupied over the last fortnight.

"I've naturally been thinking about it for a long time," he said.

"It wasn't normal they beat us so easily but our objective is to show that we're the best team and can turn it around in 90 minutes."

PSG have won three and drawn once since the first leg but could only scrape a 1-0 win over struggling Nancy on Saturday, which kept them second in Ligue 1 behind Monaco.

Midfielder Blaise Matuidi said the French champions were wary of the threat Barca could pose, despite their significant advantage going into the match.

"We believe in ourselves but we will also respect this team because we know they're capable of great things," the France international told reporters.

"The first few minutes will be important because they'll put us under pressure looking for an early goal. We must be strong mentally. We will experience some difficult moments, so we must prepare for that."

(Editing by Nick Mulvenney)


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world