Valverde wants Barcelona to take control of Champions League group

Posted Wednesday, October 23, 2019 by PA

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde is keen for his side to take control of their Champions League group with an away win against Slavia Prague.

Barca have hit top form after an indifferent start to the season but insists there can be no let-up on Wednesday night against the Czech Republic champions.

“This is a key game for us,” Valverde told a press conference. “We’re not going to play with a weakened side when there are three points at stake that could put us in a very strong position.

“They’ve had two great games in the Champions League, they beat Sevilla last season, they’re a team that likes to face up to games.

“They like to attack and bring lots of players forward and they run a lot. This is a decisive game, the third game. This is when the group starts to take shape.”

Barca leapfrogged Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga at the weekend and will be bidding for a sixth straight win in all competitions.

But Valverde has been impressed with what he has seen from Slavia, who drew their opening Group F match against Inter in Milan before losing 2-0 to Borussia Dortmund.

“Slavia are a team with a lot of personality,” he added. “They showed that against Inter and also against Dortmund.

“They play very attacking football and can cause a lot of damage. We can’t afford to be complacent, we can’t just depend on our name. It’s 11 humans against 11 humans.”

Valverde will be without Samuel Umtiti and Sergi Roberto (both knee) in Prague, but Gerard Pique is back in contention after suspension.

Slavia go into the game in bullish mood having extended their unbeaten start in the Czech First League to 13 games at the weekend.

Coach Jindrich Trpisovsky said he hoped his side would face a full-strength Barca line-up and seize their chance to turn fantasy into reality.

Trpisovsky told his club’s official website: “Let them bring their strongest side – it’s a big event, one of the matches of the decade and we are all looking forward to it.

“We’ve been watching this team all our lives on TV, and most of them have been played on the Play Station, and now this team will be here. Preparing for it is easier because we know all their players so well.”

Slavia’s loss to Dortmund is their only defeat in all competitions this season.