Barcelona boss Luis Enrique ready for 'special' second leg at Atletico Madrid

06 April 2016 09:53

Barcelona are ready to thrive in the hostile atmosphere at the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday when they face Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final, according to coach Luis Enrique.

The Catalans hit back to win the first-leg 2-1 at the Nou Camp thanks to a second-half double from Luis Suarez after Atletico's goalscorer Fernando Torres had been sent off 10 minutes after he opened the scoring.

"We have room for improvement and the match at the Calderon will be a nice one," Luis Enrique said on the Barcelona website.

"We enjoy challenges. It will be a special game.

"We have to win at the Calderon. If there's any team that can do it, it's us."

Barcelona lost 1-0 at Atletico to crash out of the Champions League at the last-eight stage four years ago, but they are determined to ensure that does not happen again.

"It will be very similar to tonight," Suarez said looking forward to next week's meeting. "But the result forces them to score no matter what if they want to go through."

Andres Iniesta added: " We know we'll suffer at the Calderon, but we have to if we want to stay alive in the Champions League."

Atletico boss Diego Simeone hopes the home fans in the capital can inspire his side to a second-leg win.

"Next week, I imagine a Calderon packed and chanting throughout the whole game with enthusiasm," he said. "We are still alive."

Source: PA