Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova watched his side lose 4-0 at the Allianz Arena last Tuesday in the Champions League semi-finals, but he believes that a comeback is more than possible at the Camp Nou.
“We believe we can fight back. It is our obligation and we are convinced [that retaliating is possible],” Vilanova told the press.
“We know that it will be very difficult, but we are Barca and we can never give up on a tie, especially when we still have 90 minutes to play at home.”
Barcelona have been the source of suspense throughout the knockout phase of this Champions League campaign.
They overturned a 2-0 away deficit against AC Milan by winning 4-0 at the Camp Nou in the Round of 16. Likewise, they narrowly survived against PSG, edging past their French challengers on away goals.
Noticeably though, in both stages of the competition, Lionel Messi’s input was essential. After flopping at the San Siro against Milan, the Argentinian was back to his best in the second leg, scoring twice to sink the Italian titans. Messi was, however, not on target in the decisive leg against PSG.
With a 4-0 loss on their hands, Barcelona are looking to use the powers of Messi to get back up and put an end to Bayern’s road to the Champions League final. I
“The more in form he is, the better our chances of getting to the final,” Vilanova said.
Although the manager accepted that it would be wrong to throw all the pressure on the world-class forward, he drew attention to Messi’s unique potential, adding: “A player as good as Messi, at this point in the competition, will have things to say in the match [against Bayern].”
Source: DSG
