Valverde and Rakitic are still unsure if Messi will sign new Barcelona contract
- Lorenzo Bettoni from the Allianz Stadium
" Juve are a very strong club. We will have to be alert since we know that they are very good at home. They have a lot of quality as they will want to do well against us in front of their fans. We will have to put in a strong effort and hopefully we will come back home with something. Juve are a team who have been dominating the Italian league for years now so this clearly means that they are very strong. Messi? I don't want to talk about contract renewals since we are all focused on the game against Juve. It will be an important game for both clubs so we have to remain very focused".
Ivan Rakitic then added : "We want to play a solid game tomorrow but we know that Juve have a lot of quality. They are coming off a loss to Sampdoria so they will want to do well against us for sure. Messi? He is relaxed but we haven't talked about this. He loves Barcelona and the fans. I have faith in our president as I hope Messi stays. From what I head, there isn't any issues. Buffon? He is an all time great, it was sad. Even if Italy are in a difficult moment, they have the quality to come beack stronger than before. We have to remain united tomorrow since it won't be easy. Neymar? Well his departure changed us a little. We had to adapt but I feel like we are more united now. No one likes to face us since they know our quality. We respect Juve a lot since they really gave us a difficult time last season. Piqué will be there tomorrow so that's good for us. Favorites? I think it is 50-50 let's see...".