Kostas Manolas holds Roma hope
April 3, 2018
Roma defender Kostas Manolas admits Barcelona are favourites for their Champions League tie but he believes anything can happen over two legs.
The Giallorossi have been handed the daunting prospect of trying to overcome five-time champions Barcelona in the quarter-finals of this season’s competition, starting with the first-leg at the Camp Nou on Wednesday.
Roma lost 6-1 on their last visit to Catalonia in 2015 and Greek international Manolas, who played the full 90 minutes of that contest, knows his side cannot afford to be on the receiving end of a similar result this time around.
“Tactically we got that game wrong, we pushed too high up and they found space easily,” Manolas told Il Giornale. Now we won’t have to go there with the fear of conceding so many goals.”
The 26-year-old knows Roma haven’t been given much of a chance of making it through to the semi-finals at the expense of Barcelona, but he believes anything can happen over two legs.
“We respect Barcelona, but we’re aware of our strength,” he added.
“We showed in the Group Stage that we’re a good team, now we have a double-header against a very strong opponent. They’re favourites, but when you play 11 v 11 you never know.”
Roma have only won one of their last 14 away matches in the Champ[ions League, a run that stretches back to 2010, but they are priced at 12.00 to buck that trend and secure a first-leg advantage on Wednesday, while Barca are available at 1.22 and the draw is on offer at 6.00.
