Deco stays cool over Benfica's hostile atmosphere

الثلاثاء، 28 مارس 2006 - 14:55

كتب : Ahmad Saied

Deco (L)

Barcelona's Portuguese midfielder Deco said his team mates won't be affected by the expected hostile atmosphere at the Da Luz Stadium where they will play Benfica in the Champions League.

"The stadium will be full and the fans will support their team," Barcelona's official website quoted Deco as saying on Tuesday.

"We're used to this type of atmosphere and what we have to do is control the opening ten or fifteen minutes when Benfica will put a lot of pressure on us."

Champions League Favorites Barcelona play Benfica away in their first leg of the quarter-finals on Tuesday.

The former Porto playmaker warned of underestimating Benfica and said they should be paid the suitable respect.

"People are mistaken if they think that after beating Chelsea we have already won the Champions League," he said.

"The teams that are left are even better than Chelsea because they're among the final eight, and Benfica is one of them."

Barcelona ousted Premiership champions Chelsea in the first knock-out stage with a 3-2 aggregate win after a stunning 2-1 away victory.

Deco believes that scoring away against Benfica will almost secure passage to the last four.

"It's very important because of the value of away goals and we'll take to the pitch with that intention."

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