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- 'A decisive game' - Pique and Xavi on Barcelona's UCL match with Bayern
'A decisive game' - Pique and Xavi on Barcelona's UCL match with Bayern
Barcelona's first Champions League campaign without Lionel Messi in nearly two decades may come to an end in the group stage if it doesn't find a way to beat Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
"This is a decisive game for us. Our only possible result is a victory. As for them, they will try to win of course. But they have nothing at stake. This is more a game to prove ourselves that we can compete and stay alive in Europe's top competition. It's true that our last two games against this team didn't end up the way we expected. But that's in the past.", said Barcelona defender Piqué.
He also mentioned: "We must play this game in a practical way. To look for their area so they don't get to feel comfortable. Try to play in their area. Recover the ball in their area so we have more chances of scoring goals. And when it comes to our defense we must be solid. When you notice that it gets hard for us to score goals then the best thing to do is to stay strong in our defense. And if they can't score, then a single goal in our favor will be enough. The game should follow these lines."
It would be the first time since the 2003-04 season that the Catalan club didn't play in the knockout stage of the competition.
Barcelona is second to Bayern in Group E, and two points ahead of third-place Benfica.
But a draw or a loss in Germany would allow Benfica to advance with a home win against already-eliminated Dynamo Kyiv.