Guardiola: “I just hope the ground is full on Wednesday”

The FC Barcelona manager is hoping for a packed Camp Nou and for the team to enjoy the match. “You will see two great teams put on a very good show. The rest doesn’t matter” he insisted.

“I hold reverential respect for Real Madrid. They are the worst team we could expect to play on Wednesday”.

The FC Barcelona manager appeared in the Ricard Maxenchs pressroom after training behind closed doors at the Camp Nou on Tuesday, and his message was clear. "I just hope the ground is full. What would upset me most is for the place not to be packed to the rafters". He also urged fans not to bring any ill feelings into the stadium. "You will see two great teams put on a very good show. The rest doesn't matter. Come to enjoy yourselves, to support us, to be with us and to forget about the rest. Watch Real Madrid. Not a specific manager or player ... If the atmosphere gets too heated it's because we haven't learned from the past, but I'm convinced that we are a mature club. The whole world is watching us and we have to show that we do our talking with our football".

Guardiola also stressed that "I hold reverential respect for Real Madrid. They are the worst team we could expect to play on Wednesday. The problem with this game is that we have already qualified and they are already out, and yet we still have to play. I predict a tight match right until the end ... If we try to defend the result from the first leg, they'll beat us. If we want to make the semi finals we'll have to play another great match. I have a feeling that Real Madrid are going to get a goal at the Camp Nou and so we are going to have to try to get one too".

He will wanting to get the very best he can out of his players. "We have to be prepared to face the very best Real Madrid have got, whether they push forwards or wait further back. What we have to do is play fast. If we are quick and pass the ball around and avoid contact, so much the better" he said.

Guardiola had no more to say about the Pepe incident with Messi. "The club has made a statement in that respect" he said. Neither did he think the fans were expecting a rout. "I think we're more prudent than that and I sincerely don't think most Barça fans are assuming we'll thrash them by a high score. Even though we got the best result out of the first leg, nothing has been decided yet", concluded Guardiola, who finished by reiterating how happy is to be managing Barça. (via FCBarcelona.cat)