Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has admitted that he wanted to avoid Chelsea when the draw was made and is very wary of what he describes as the “incredible” form shown by the English clubs in Europe this season as reported by the Guardian.
Barca topped their group finishing three points ahead of Juventus whilst Chelsea also finished three points behind Roma in their group.
The Spanish giants are well clear at the top of La Liga currently lying seven points ahead of second-placed Valencia and so can attack the Champions League.
The Barcelona manager spoke about why they wanted to avoid Chelsea in the draw.
We wish Chelsea had finished first in their group so we didn’t have to play them.
They’re the Premier League champions, a very strong team there on merit. English teams this year are in incredible form, much better than in previous years.
Chelsea might be the same. We know that, because the English have such a strong league, they’ll all be up there competing.
Chelsea will face a tough test this night when Louis Suarez and Lionel Messi come to town but it seems the Spanish club aren’t to confident ahead of the game.
The Catalan clubs manager also heaped the praise on his opposition manager Antonio Conte after he won the Premier League title last season at Stamford Bridge.
He added:
He’s one of the best managers in the world with a great record. You can see the quality of his coaching in the teams he coaches.
He’s got the classic Italian methods: very strong defensively and can counter at any moment. It’s very clearly a team run by him.
