Alejandro Balde talks Lamine, Ter Stegen, Cancelo, Dro, Spain NT, referees ahead of Slavia Prague vs Barcelona | OneFootball

After a disappointing 2-1 defeat at the hands of Real Sociedad, Barcelona will look to bounce back to winning ways as they take on Slavia Prague on Wednesday.

It promises to be a challenging affair for the Blaugrana, who will have to play in cold conditions against a Slavia Prague side that hasn’t had any professional footballing action in over a month.

Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Barcelona defender Alejandro Balde talked about the cold weather, the imminent departure of Marc-Andre ter Stegen and other things.

What Balde said ahead of Slavia Prague match

First things first, Balde addressed the importance of this match, knowing the team still stands a chance of finishing in the top eight if they can secure two back-to-back wins.

“We believe we’re doing a great job, we’re Barça, and we always have to win. If we play like we did the other day, we’ll surely win. We have to win the next two Champions League matches if we want to finish in the top eight,” he said.

However, it must be noted that Barcelona would ideally need to win these two matches by a bigger margin.

“We haven’t talked much. We’ll probably discuss this today and tomorrow, and if we can win by a lot of goals, all the better,” he said.

Coming on the back of a defeat to Real Sociedad, the defender highlighted the need to move on while also talking about Barça’s incredible momentum since the Chelsea defeat.

“We’ll analyse the game today. Everyone saw it; out of 1000 times, we only lose that one time. It was one of our best games of the season. We weren’t lucky, but if we keep playing like this, I’m sure everything will be fine,” he said about the Sociedad loss.

Balde was not happy with the Sociedad loss. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

The left-back wasn’t too impressed with the refereeing in the Real Sociedad match either.

“These are decisions that we can’t do anything about. They are external to us. We have to respect those decisions and not take them as an excuse, even though they were very fair plays,” he stated.

“I think we weren’t playing well in that match. We lacked confidence. Losing 0-3 away from home is tough.

“We always talk about it in the locker room and we knew we could do much better. We work hard every day and we have a lot of confidence,” he added, when asked about Barcelona’s momentum since the Chelsea defeat.

Barcelona as a whole, though, have conceded a lot more goals than usual, to which Balde had only one response.

“There are always things that can be improved. Maybe we’ve conceded more than we should have, but we’re also scoring a lot. In the end, we’re winning, which is what’s important,” he said.

The defender was then asked about the cold weather in Prague, which is expected to dip to -5 degrees Celsius. He also said Barcelona will not use the cold as an excuse.

“We’ve talked about it, and I really don’t like the cold. I don’t think it’s an excuse; we have to focus on the game and do what we always do. We have a lot of confidence, and it shouldn’t be used as an excuse,” he said.

Balde was also asked about Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s imminent loan move to Girona, to which the defender praised the Barcelona captain.

“Marc spoke with us this morning. He’s a huge role model; I practically grew up watching him, and now he’s my captain. I wish him luck; I’m happy for him and hope he gains confidence after coming back from injury,” he said.

As far as departing players are concerned, Balde also offered his thoughts on Pedro Fernandez ‘Dro’. He urged fans to respect the wishes of the young midfield prodigy.

“Every player thinks differently, and we have to respect their opinion. If he has chosen to make that decision, I can only say that I wish him the best and that we must respect his decision,” he said.

Balde went on to talk about his own game as well, while also highlighting his ambitions with the Spanish national team and potential competition from new signing Joao Cancelo.

“These last few years, I’ve had more of a role for myself. We’re professional footballers, and I have to adapt to all situations. I try to do that and improve every day,” he said.

Balde doesn’t mind competition from Cancelo. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

On his prospects with La Roja, the defender added, “All players play for that. It’s everyone’s dream. I haven’t been back for two years, and I work every day to be able to return.

“What depends on me is that I give my all every day, and hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to come back.”

Balde’s job could be made slightly difficult by the addition of Cancelo, who can operate on both right and left flanks – making him a competitor for the Spaniard as well.

“Any player who comes to help is welcome. He has a lot of experience and can help the younger players. I’m happy; competition is good because it pushes you to be at a higher level. So his arrival has been a good thing,” he said on Cancelo’s arrival.

Finally, Balde talked about the absence of Lamine Yamal. While he heaped praise on the attacking sensation, he pointed out that Barça must appear more self-reliant.

“Lamine is a very high-quality player. At his young age, he’s one of the best in the world, although we can’t depend on just one player. The team has great quality, which is what’s important. Whenever he scores, we celebrate,” he concluded.

Source: Mundo Deportivo