Source: SKY_Sports
Riera would rather avoid Barca
Liverpool winger Albert Riera would prefer to avoid Barcelona in Friday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw.
The Reds and Barca are in the last eight of Europe's most prestigious club competition after sweeping aside Spanish champions Real Madrid and French title holders Lyon, respectively.
Current La Liga table toppers Barca have proved a rejuvenated force under manager Pep Guardiola and are ranked as favourites to add to their two previous European Cup triumphs.
And, with that in mind, Riera believes five-time winners Liverpool's campaign would be helped if the Catalan giants were avoided in the battle to reach the final in Rome on 27th May.
"In these kind of matches you can never say that one team is the favourite," Spain international Riera said.
"In the last round we played Real Madrid and a lot of people were saying that they were the best in the world because in their previous 10 games they had won eight or nine of them and they had also been playing really well.
"But Liverpool played a really good match against them and were able to beat them.
"Barcelona are playing unbelievably well this year - their football is really good and I think people are expecting a lot from them and perhaps expecting them to win four or five nil in every game.
"It is not possible to keep this kind of level for a whole year though, but they are a team who I would prefer not to get in the Champions League draw."
