FCBARCELONA.CAT

20.04.2008 17:08

Tévez: “Like the final brought forward”

Sandra Sarmiento

Manchester United’s Argentinean forward has stated that the semi-final against Barça is “an opportunity to make his mark”, and that he feels confident that his team will make it to the final.

He’s Ferguson’s second highest scorer, and he’ll arrive at Nou Camp with his morale high after getting the equalizer against Blackburn Rovers in last Saturday’s Premiership match.
Manchester United now has just a three-point lead over Chelsea. In a statement to Barça TV and www.fcbarcelona.cat, the Argentinean Carlos Tévez said that the semi-final against Barça was “an opportunity to make his mark. It’s a game in another dimension”. Tévez added that the duel between the Blaugranes and the English side was “like the final has been brought forward”.

Confidence in the results

With only three league games left, Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United is league leader with a three-point advantage over Chelsea. They face each other next Saturday at Stamford Bridge. The Red Devils are bringing an incredible season to a close. They are unbeaten in the Champions League and in the English league they have only notched up four defeats. They haven’t lost in their last nine league games, and they arrive at Nou Camp full of confidence. Tévez stated that getting a good result was “just down to us”. “If we continue playing in the same way, with the same passion, we’ve got a chance. Obviously it’s all down to us”.

The keys to the semi-final

Carlos Tévez started out in English football in 2006, helping save West Ham United from relegation. Halfway through 2007 he went to Manchester United on loan for two seasons. Known as “the Apache” in Argentina, Tévez has become one of the key players in Sir Alex Ferguson’s game plan, having so far scored 13 league goals and 4 in the Champions League. Tévez has been following the Spanish league and Barça’s results: “They’re coming to the game with a lot of pressure on them. If we get to play in our style, we can make it very difficult for Barça. There are 180 match minutes ahead. Two games to play and we have to be smart. We have to come out focussed and play well in all areas”.

Reunion with Messi

Carlos Tévez celebrated his 24th birthday last February 5th. Having started out in Boca Juniors, he played for Corinthians in Brazil before coming to Europe. He’s not from the same generation as Messi, but they have coincided on various occasions playing for Argentina. Tévez laid a challenge for Messi and Barça: “Let him play. If we beat them with Messi, there’ll be no excuse”. Yet the Manchester United player is full of praise for his compatriot: “He’s from another planet. He’s got amazing acceleration. He’s a marvellous player”.