Barcelona star Javier Mascherano has a lot of respect for his team’s upcoming Champions League opponent As Roma, and thinks that the Serie A club has a lot of quality.
The Liga giants will be looking to start their title defense with a victory in the hopes of retaining the trophy next season.
Barcelona will go into the game with confidence after grabbing a tough win against Atletico Madrid earlier this weekend.
Mascherano said: “Roma play proper football,” he told UEFA.com ahead of Wednesday’s match.
“Sometimes that’s actually better for our playing style, but they’re a quality side and we know that they’ll fight for every ball.
“Roma are a club with so much history and we know all about how difficult it is to play in Italy.
“The Giallorossi know how to defend well and as a result it’s not easy to score against them. It’ll be a tough match.”
After winning last season’s competition thanks to a 3-1 win over Juventus in the final, the Argentine admits the competition is held in high regard by the Blaugrana.
“We’re really pleased that it’s Champions League time again,” he stated.
“It’s a special competition for us, but we know that every single match is going to be very intense.”