Gio believes in Barça talent

FC Barcelona's Giovanni van Bronckhorst is full of confidence as the Spanish champions prepare to entertain SL Benfica in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg with the teams having shared a goalless draw in Portugal last week.

There's a great sense of excitement around the Camp Nou as the hours count down to our second leg against Benfica. We really want to make it through to the semi-finals and we're just one game away. We were well-prepared before the first game at the Estádio Da Luz and overall we were the better team and deserved to win. We did quite well and created a lot of chances and it's just a shame that we weren't able to convert any of them. Luck wasn't on our side and that's the way sometimes in football. If their goalkeeper hadn't been in good form or a couple of efforts had been a aimed fractionally differently the scoreline could have been much better for us.

Amazing atmosphere
That's not to take anything away from Benfica who are a very good side, defended well and caused us problems on the break. We had the majority of the possession but we had to be very sharp whenever we lost the ball. Their movement and passing was good and they have the players to score if they are able to create the chances. Overall we're quite confident that we can go through, without in any way underestimating the task in front of us. It will be an amazing atmosphere at the Camp Nou; playing at home in front of our great support will give us the advantage and there will be a lot of pressure on Benfica.

Benfica strategy
They know that they have to score and I'm sure they'll play in a similar way to the first game where they defended well and tried to catch us on the counterattack. We are a more attacking side and will try to go forward from the first whistle, but we know how important it will be to stop them scoring. It won't be a disaster if they score but it will make our task a lot tougher so we will have to be a bit cautious and definitely keep it tight at the back.

'Dominated'
We've not had a lot of luck in front of goal either in Lisbon or at the weekend against Real Madrid when we dominated again but only scored from the penalty spot. However, our strikers are still full of confidence and know that they are more than capable of getting the goals. It's about time we had a little bit of luck but even if it's not on our side again we can create enough opportunities to get the goals we need.

Strong self-belief
Unfortunately we will be without Thiago Motta as he was injured against Madrid, although Benfica will be without Nuno Gomes again. However, they have plenty of attacking options and I rate Fabrizio Miccoli very highly. They are also strong in midfield where Beto is a good playmaker. We have to remember that Benfica won in Liverpool and can perform against the biggest teams. We must give them respect and be careful in our approach. However, we have a great belief in ourselves and this is a tournament we are desperate to win so I think we will be able to do what we need to win this match and keep the UEFA Champions League dream alive.

Gio van Bronckhorst's personal website is at www.icons.com