Iniesta: No excuses if Barcelona fail to beat AC Milan

Apr 1, 2012 8:50:00 AM

The Catalans struggled to break the Rossoneri down during their first-leg clash at San Siro but the midfielder is confident the Blaugrana will make the breakthrough at Camp Nou

Andres Iniesta believes that with the benefit of home advantage, Barcelona will simply have no excuse for failing to defeat AC Milan in the eagerly-awaited second leg of their delicately poised Champions League quarter-final tie.

The pair drew 0-0 at San Siro last Wednesday after a tight and turgid game in which the hosts arguably had the more clear-cut chances.

However, Iniesta is hoping that it will be a very different story at Camp Nou as he is anticipating a far more open encounter.

“We have to win, that’s the reality," the Spain international told reporters after his side's 2-0 La Liga win over Athletic Bilbao.

"At home, with our fans, we have to get to the next round and we must go into the match with confidence. We’ll see 90 thrilling minutes."

Iniesta opened the scoring in the Blaugrana's crucial victory over Athletic and the World Cup winner was buoyed by his side's performance against a side that he holds in the highest esteem.

“The game was very demanding," the midfielder mused. "I think the team played a very good match.

"Athletic forced all of our players - from the keeper to the forwards - to play well. They didn't create a lot of goalscoring chances, but they demanded a lot of us.

"We have to give value to this victory, because if you lower the intensity at any moment against Athletic, they roll right over you.

“We needed to win the three points today; that’s what’s really important. If we keep on winning all three points each week we’ll have a chance to win the title at the end of the season.”

Barca's victory means that they remain six points in arrears of leaders Real Madrid, with Los Blancos having routed Osasuna in Pamplona earlier in the day.

After revamping our World Player of the Week feature, Goal.com International is asking for your help to choose a worthy recipient of the weekly accolade. All you need to do is leave your nominations in the comments section of THIS article between 10.00 every Sunday and 11.00CET every Monday. Thanks!

Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Sign up today with Coral and get a £50 FREE bet - no strings attached!
Sign up today with BetVictor and get a £25 FREE BET!