Liverpool winger Albert Riera is delighted that his team have seen off one Primera Division giant this season, but would rather not face Real Madrid's great rivals from Catalunya, Barcelona, as the Merseysiders look to reach yet another Champions League final.
Rafa Benitez's men battered los Blancos 4-0 at Anfield last week, triumphing 5-0 on aggregate in the tie, and one might expect such form to create a bullish, confident attitude in the Liverpool camp, a feeling of being able to beat anybody.
Riera, however, is a little more circumspect, and would rather the draw didn't set up a match-up with the Spanish league leaders.
"In these kind of matches you can never say that one team is the favourite," the winger told The Liverpool Echo.
"In the last round we played Real Madrid and a lot of people were saying that they were the best in the world because in their previous ten games they had won eight or nine of them and they had been playing really well also.
"But Liverpool played a really good match against them and were able to beat them."
The Catalans, though, are at a higher level than their counterparts in Madrid, Riera believes, adding, "Barcelona are playing unbelievably well this year – their football is really good and I think people are expecting a lot from them and perhaps expecting them to win four or five nil in every game.
"It is not possible to keep this kind of level for a whole year though, but they are a team who I would prefer not to get in the Champions League draw."
Rafa Benitez's men battered los Blancos 4-0 at Anfield last week, triumphing 5-0 on aggregate in the tie, and one might expect such form to create a bullish, confident attitude in the Liverpool camp, a feeling of being able to beat anybody.
Riera, however, is a little more circumspect, and would rather the draw didn't set up a match-up with the Spanish league leaders.
"In these kind of matches you can never say that one team is the favourite," the winger told The Liverpool Echo.
"In the last round we played Real Madrid and a lot of people were saying that they were the best in the world because in their previous ten games they had won eight or nine of them and they had been playing really well also.
"But Liverpool played a really good match against them and were able to beat them."
The Catalans, though, are at a higher level than their counterparts in Madrid, Riera believes, adding, "Barcelona are playing unbelievably well this year – their football is really good and I think people are expecting a lot from them and perhaps expecting them to win four or five nil in every game.
"It is not possible to keep this kind of level for a whole year though, but they are a team who I would prefer not to get in the Champions League draw."
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