Fabregas: No excuses, we must beat Spartak

Cesc Fabregas believes there are no excuses for Barcelona not to beat Spartak Moscow in their upcoming UEFA Champions League fixture.

The two sides will meet on Tuesday at Luzhniki Stadium in Russia, and despite the strength of the opposition, the artificial turf and the freezing temperature that the Catalan side will be up against, the Spain international is determined not to let it affect the Blaugrana's performance.

"The artificial pitch and the cold will not be a problem, or an excuse," Fabregas told the club's website. "It will be a hard game, but we are not thinking about holding out for a draw, although that will be enough to see us through.

"We want to win, we always play our way and we will just have to adapt that to whatever they do. Every team in the Champions League will always be dangerous, but it is always a tough task to go to Russia."

When questioned if he expects to be in the starting line-up on Tuesday, Fabregas insisted it is up to Camp Nou head coach Tito Vilanova to decide whether the ex-Arsenal skipper should start.

"I always try to give my best and then the boss has to decide," he said. "I am playing a lot lately and I am happy about that. We have players who can compete and come in and freshen up the team, but this is always a good thing.”