Valverde: We Can Cope With Anfield Pressure

By Joshua Walters

Ernesto Valverde is confident his Barcelona players will be unfazed by the Anfield atmosphere ahead of the Champions League semi-final second leg on Tuesday.

Barcelona will go into the game with a foot in the final, which will be played at Atletico Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano Stadium on June 1, after Lionel Messi’s brace and a Luis Suarez strike gave the Blaugrana a 3-0 lead last week, leaving The Reds’ dream of reaching the final hanging by a thread.

Anfield stands out as one of European football’s most vociferous grounds, and has been the setting of numerous great European nights for Liverpool but Valverde expects his side to come through Tuesday’s game unscathed.

Barcelona have already churned out positive away results in this season’s competition, particularly in games against Inter Milan at San Siro and Manchester United at Old Trafford, and the Spanish trainer has urged his players to put on a repeat performance.

'We need to ignore the first leg, it would be an error otherwise,' Valverde told reporters.

'The fans at Anfield generate a lot of noise and passion.

'We've played well at big stadiums like Old Trafford and the San Siro this season so we can cope with the pressure.

'Nothing in football is written, you've got to go out on the pitch and do it.  

Valverde, who oversaw Barcelona’s elimination at the quarter-final stage last season to AS Roma, where they lost 3-0 to the Italians, having won the first leg 4-1 will be hoping his side do not suffer a similar capitulation, given their healthy advantage from the first leg.