'D-day' for Barcelona

By Graham Hunter

Radomir Antic has left his FC Barcelona players under no illusions that he will accept "no excuses" for them failing to overcome Juventus FC in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final at the Camp Nou on Tuesday.

Busy schedule
Having earned a morale-boosting but energy-sapping 1-1 draw at Real Madrid CF on Saturday, Barcelona may be feeling the strain; but their Serbian coach is adamant that his side's busy schedule should have no bearing on their performance in a second-leg match they enter level at 1-1.

'No excuses'
"I can accept no excuses for not performing to our highest level against Juventus," he said. "People can talk about physical tiredness and mental tiredness, but with a match as important as this those sensations have to disappear. This is our 'D-Day' - it will be a full, noisy stadium and I want us to treat it like the final itself."

Injury factors
Only by winning the Champions League can Barcelona qualify for next season's competition given their low domestic standing. With tiredness increasingly a factor as the season reaches a climax, the form of players returning from injury could be significant and from Barcelona's point of view, there is no individual quite as important as Luis Enrique, whose return after achilles and knee injuries has already transformed his side.

Gruelling encounter
However, Marc Overmars was not the only one in the Catalan camp concerned about Luis Enrique's fitness. "Luis Enrique ran until he was empty against Madrid and after the game I felt like my legs wouldn't work again for two or three days," said Barcelona's Dutch winger Marc Overmars.

Reiziger rested
It was perhaps the anticipation of that kind of exhausting encounter that led Antic to give Overmars' fellow countryman Michael Reiziger the day off when Barcelona travelled to Madrid. "I held back Reiziger at the weekend because he's had a few niggling problems with his fitness and Juventus are particularly strong on the left-hand side," said the coach.

Saviola returns
That threat to Barcelona's right flank will be all the greater thanks to Gabri García's absence for the game through a one-match suspension. Phillip Cocu has still not returned from his knee injury, but Javier Saviola is back after missing the Madrid match because of a domestic ban.

Lippi dilemma
Antic's opposite number, Marcello Lippi, faces problems of his own as he aims to coax Alessandro Del Piero back to his best form, knowing that a shoulder injury has now ruled French striker David Trezeguet out of the game. Del Piero was a little subdued in the first leg, but the striker himself is now brimming with confidence, having scored twice in the Serie A leaders' weekend win over AS Roma.

Del Piero confident
"I want to score in this stadium and put us through," said Del Piero, who is likely to be partnered by Marco Di Vaio. "I love playing in places like the Camp Nou and if it was my goal which put us in the semi-final then so much the better."

Goals essential
What is certain is that Juventus need to score to progress - a point not lost on midfield player Mauro Camoranesi. "We have to be so conscious that 0-0 means we are out," he said. However, the coach was convinced that his side would be able to break Barcelona down. "I'm confident and if you asked me for a prediction I'd say my strikers are in form and we'll go through with a 2-2 draw," Lippi said.