Thiago Alcantara will be in perfect condition to take on Barcelona. The Hispanic-Brazilian says that he came off against Borussia Dortmund because of a “knock, it was a strong coming together, but I’m fine.”
The player explained that being out injured for so long is not affecting him. “For the first few days [when you return] you are a bit afraid, but when you get on the pitch and kick the ball, it passes. You shake it off,” he said.
He’s now looking forward to a “semi-final of good football” and is excited about returning to Camp Nou: “It is a wonderful stadium, I have great memories there, but it is a game of football and I will have to take it on without thinking about that.”
Thiago also admitted that Barça’s Messi-Suarez-Neymar forward line is a threat, but he said Bayern can’t worry about them. “They are great footballers,” he continued. “I have great respect for them, they are great rivals, although you can’t be intimidated. We are all professionals and you can’t be scared.”
Barça’s current form is good and the midfielder said that is a cause for “worry, respect and we have to analyse them well, how we will play… We have to minimise their danger in attack and find the weaknesses in defence.”
He didn’t want to dive deep into his feeling for Barça, his former team, making it clear “I am a Bayern player”, although he clearly still has a lot of love for the Blaugrana.
“I feel grateful to the people that took care of me for so long at Barça,” he added. “I spent many years there and I have a lot of affection for the people there. In Barcelona I miss my friends, the food, the closeness of my family…
“When I finish football, I will live in the city. I have a lot of appreciation for Barcelona and my partner is Catalan.”
He also said that the “joking with my brother will end this week” in relation to the meeting between Rafinha Alcantara and Thiago next Wednesday. Rating Rafinha’s season at Barça, Thiago finished: “He’s doing well and I am sure that he will go far in football.”