The Barça centre-back analyses the state of the team going into their trip to Japan
Champions League draw
The draw for the last 16 of the Champions League will take place on Monday when the squad is in Japan. Bartra said that Arsenal would be “a nice team to face”. The defender is a fan of English football and feels “it would be an attractive tie for everybody”.
Just days ahead of FC Barcelona’s trip to Japan for the Club World Cup, Marca Bartra gave his thoughts to BarçaTV during a commercial event, discussing the squad’s current condition as well as his hopes of winning the last trophy of the year.
“There are always things to improve, but we can be satisfied with the job we have done so far,” said the defender about the team’s start to the campaign.
Before setting off for Asia, Barça take on Deportivo (4.00pm CET) on Saturday, and Bartra feels that “winning the last game before leaving for Japan, especially at home, is a big motivation”.
The last time Barça won the Club World Cup was in 2011 when Bartra was still trying to break into the first team, but the youngster always had his sights set on competing in the big tournaments.
“I have not yet been able to play in a Club World Cup. When we won the 2011 title, I was still playing for the reserves, and I could see that it was one of the places where a footballer always wanted to be.”
The Catalan defender is very satisfied with the team’s efforts so far this season as well as the professionalism in the side.
“Nobody gifts you anything. Being at the top for many months is never easy because there is plenty of competition but we have shown that, whoever we face, we respond,” Bartra concluded.