Oriol Romeu expecting 'a great year in Europe'

It's not since the 2012/13 season, when he was at Chelsea, that Oriol Romeu has played a Champions League fixture. The long wait is over, and tomorrow Tuesday, if selected, he'll be facing Royal Antwerp as FC Barcelona look to get off to a winning start in the competition. "I can't wait for this spectacular adventure to start" he told his pre-game press conference on Monday.

“It's probably one of the most exciting trophies there is" he said. "Kids everywhere dream of playing in the Champions League, of experiencing that atmosphere. And now we have the chance. We have to put the bad vibes of the last two seasons behind us and get things off to the best possible start."

"There is a positive mood in the camp, we're optimistic. The team is getting better with every game and the idea is to keep that going. Europe is a big challenge and we'll be playing against some very strong teams. That's why we need to be at our best and to get off to a good start. We need to play good football and show what we are capable of doing. This squad can go very far and we are here to have a great year in Europe.”

The way forward

On a more personal note, Romeu says "I'm just trying to do what I'm good at, and adapting as quickly as possible. When I joined Southampton a few years ago it was hard to imagine I'd ever be back at Barça and playing a central role and about to play in the Champions League again. But football has its ups and downs and I'm very happy to be here, and really relishing the challenge. I still need to improve, but this is the way forward."

Top group

Although the squad is working with limited numbers this season, Romeu says"we have a great group and the coach has all kinds of different types of player to choose from ... The two Joaos have settled in nicely. They both really wanted to come here and it shows. They are two great players and I'm sure they'll help us a lot."

As for his playing partner Frenkie de Jong, he says "off the field he has always been very nice to me and onfield it's an absolute luxury to play alongside him. He makes breakthroughs with the ball and is one of the best midfielders in Europe right now, he's top class."