Mascherano: Barcelona don't know any other way

Javier Mascherano says FC Barcelona are taking nothing for granted ahead of their UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg against FC Bayern München – and they certainly don't plan on sitting back and soaking up the pressure in Bavaria on Tuesday night.

The Catalan giants have a formidable 3-0 lead after Lionel Messi inspired them to a rousing late win last Wednesday at Camp Nou. History is overwhelmingly on their side as they bid to reach their first final since 2011, when they beat Manchester United FC at Wembley under Josep Guardiola, but Mascherano says it would be a mistake to betray their attacking virtues.

"I think we should forget that we are 3-0 up – we have to try to win the game," said the defender. "If we do anything different, it would be wrong. We will try to do what we have done for the whole year. We will try to attack – we don't know any other way of playing. That's our philosophy. We always try to score goals."

Barcelona did not score on their last visit to Munich in 2013, however, a 4-0 defeat the prelude to a 7-0 aggregate semi-final loss to Bayern. "We saw two years ago what Bayern are capable of and what they can achieve," Mascherano, 30, added. "I imagine they will be hungry right from the start. They will try to score so we are prepared for anything; nothing will surprise us.

"We have to play as we always play and we have to go out to win the game," continued the Argentinian international. "The fine details are very important. If we just defend they will heap pressure on us. We are in the Champions League semi-finals; it would be a mistake to just defend.

"Barça are hungry and very competitive; we want to win trophies. We are 90 minutes away from the final. We will do everything to fulfil our dream. But hey, we can also lose. At this stage, any mistake can be fatal. We have to take it step by step. The next step is tomorrow."