Puyol confident Barca can oust Bayern
Barcelona captain Carlos Puyol is confident his side can succeed in Europe once again this season, starting with victory against Bayern Munich in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday. The experienced defender has been a mainstay in the Barca side as they pursue a remarkable treble in 2009, with the Catalan giants currently top of La Liga, in the final of the Copa del Rey and the last eight of the Champions League.
And, according to the 31-year-old, there is no reason why they cannot eliminate Bayern and go on to match their achievements of 2006, when they lifted the European Cup in Paris following victory over Arsenal.
“We’re confident in Barca, we are expecting to get a good result and get through to the next round,” he said.
Yaya Toure and Alexander Hleb are both fit for Pep Guardiola's outfit ahead of the first-leg tie at the Camp Nou, but Puyol has urged a certain degree of caution ahead of the clash with Jurgen Klinsmann's German heavyweights.
“We must be careful,” he said. “The image we have of Bayern is of a great team with great players.
“The thought of what you can win gives you the strength to continue. The team are on a good run and for that reason there are no excuses now.”
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Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.