Andrés Iniesta: It will be a passionate and difficult tie

FC Barcelona captain Andrés Iniesta believes the Champions League quarter-final tie against Juventus will demand maximum effort from the players.

In what will be the first meeting between the sides since the final of the 2015 edition, Iniesta is well aware of the dangers the Italian giants pose.

“It will be a passionate, difficult and beautiful tie. We will face a great team with many good players. We will have to play two great matches to get to the next round.”

“Juventus have been in very good shape in recent years, they have a great manager who is doing things very well for a long time, they are comfortable leaders in their league and are doing well in the Champions League.”

“As well as having that solid (defensive) block typical of Italian teams, they have players who can make the difference, some of the best in every position who are at a very high level. It will be a difficult tie but with our capabilities we aim to push the tie in our favour.”

Speaking of the recent Champions League final between the sides: “For us it is a very nice memory, as we won another treble. They have changed players, and we have (changed) some too, and it will not have much to do with that game, but it will be equally tough like that final”.

Finally, on the fact that former Barça great Dani Alves will be returning to the Camp Nou: “It will be a great meeting with Dani, a player with whom we lived many years together and shared great moments”.