PSG´s Leonardo laments drawing Barca

15 March 2013 16:13

PSG sporting director Leonardo says the draw for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League could not have been harder on his team.

The current leaders Ligue 1 leaders are up against Spanish giants Barcelona, who lead La Liga by a massive 13 points.

PSG progressed to the quarter-finals after prevailing 3-2 on aggregate against Valencia, while Barcelona overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit to advance 4-2 at the expense of AC Milan.

"Well, it couldn't have been worse," Leonardo said. "It was impossible to get it worse I mean from the sporting point of view.

"We have to play the best team well we may be talking about the best team of all time.

"Therefore playing Barcelona, especially for us, we are just getting started with our project after plenty of years out of Europe so we'll consider this opportunity as a celebration, a chance to play versus the best team in the world and try and see what happens."

Leonardo though, thinks the pressure is all on Barcelona's star-studded side to perform in the quarter-final showdown.

"The past three years Barcelona have been there," he said.

"They have Messi, Iniesta, and Alves what can I say? So yes, definitely pressure will be on them this time."

Meanwhile, Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta says Paris Saint-Germain will be tough opponents in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Barcelona will travel to the French capital for the first leg and Zubizarreta believes playing the second at leg at home will be an advantage, but concedes the PSG are a dangerous proposition.

"We have to look on playing the return game in Barcelona as being positive," Zubizarreta told reporters.

"PSG have very good players with a lot of talent. With their experience and knowledge of playing these types of games I am sure they will be challenging right until the end (of the tie).

"They are very competitive and we will be coming up against several players we know quite well."

The former Barca goalkeeper also believes every side left in the competition is there on merit but the most important thing for his team is to ensure their name is in the hat for the semi-final draw in a few weeks' time.

"The teams that have reached the quarter-finals are there because they have done well," Zubizarreta said.

"The draw can be seen as both good and bad, it all depends on whether we are back in Nyon for the semi-final draw in three weeks or not.

"We have just experienced something in the round of 16 that demands us to be prudent."

The first leg will take place at Parc des Princes on April 2, with the return fixture at Camp Nou on April 10.