We didn't want to play Barcelona: Strootman

CAIRO – 31 March 2018: Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman confessed on Thursday that he didn’t want to face Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final.

Roma visits Barcelona on Wednesday, April 4 in the quarter-final first leg at Camp Nou before hosting the Blaugrana at the Olympico Stadium for the second leg.

"We didn't want to play Barcelona, but we know that in the quarter-finals you have to play against a strong team," the Dutchman stated ahead of the game.

"Many wanted to face Sevilla or Liverpool, but those teams are also good,” he said.

Many of Roma’s figures showed their worries after the UEFA draw put them against Barcelona, as they see the Spanish team as the favorites to win the title.

"We will give everything to get an important result there and then at home, with the stadium full; you never know what might happen. We want to show that we haven't got here by chance,” Strootman added.

"Like the fans, we think about Barcelona, but to arrive in the right mental state for that game, we have to win the one against Bologna. That will be difficult," he concluded.