Deco tips Barça for glory

Deco believes FC Barcelona can justify their billing among the favourites and win the UEFA Champions League after eliminating one of their chief rivals for continental glory, Chelsea FC, on Tuesday.

Maturity
The Portuguese international was impressed by the level of maturity shown by the Catalan side, as they consolidated a 2-1 away victory with a 1-1 second-leg draw. "We can win the Champions League, and certainly want to," he said. Looking forward to today's draw in Paris, Deco continued: "We cannot choose our next opponents and there are still a lot of great teams left." Barcelona last reached the quarter-finals in 2003, losing 3-2 on aggregate against Juventus after extra time at Camp Nou, with substitute Marcelo Zalayeta settling a breathtaking tie.

In control
Having won the Spanish championship last year, though, Deco feels Barça are better equipped to cope with opponents as wily as Juve. "The game against Chelsea went exactly as we had hoped," the 28-year-old said. "We took precautions to ensure we came out on top, and one of the keys to victory was the maturity of the team. We played the way we wanted and did not fall into any traps. We were able to control the game throughout and play at our rhythm."

Potential opponents
Frank Rijkaard's men could again be drawn against Juventus in Paris today, while Serie A's other standard-bearers AC Milan and FC Internazionale Milano - whose first knockout round encounter with AFC Ajax concludes next week - are also potential opposition. Whatever the challenge, you sense Deco and Barça will be ready.