Benfica boss Ronald Koeman said his team is not afraid of Wednesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final away at Barcelona. "We're not afraid, we know Barcelona's quality but fear is the last thing on either my or the players' mind,” Koeman was quoted as saying by Portuguese daily Maisfutebol on Tuesday. Nevertheless, the Dutch boss said that his team holds the utmost respect for Barcelona and insisted that matches like these provide his players with the necessary experience. “We respect Barcelona, I know things will be complicated in the second-leg, but the first-leg's goalless draw still gives us hope. It is a pleasure to play these games," Koeman added.
Nuno Gomes Benfica held Barcelona to a goalless draw in the first-leg of the quarter-finals that took place in Lisbon last week. On the other hand, Benfica president Luis Filipe Vieira insisted that the team's main aim was to win their second-leg against Barcelona at Nou Camp. “We are going to show our true face in the UEFA Champions League match, and prove once and for all that we have a defined strategic vision,” Vieira told a press conference on Monday. Benfica striker Nuno Gomes will miss the match after straining his knee during a local match on Saturday. The Portuguese champions hold third place in the local league standings with a tally of 59 points, seven points behind leaders Porto.
