Monchi: Barcelona are obliged to be favourites

Roma's sporting director Monchi thinks that Barcelona are obliged to be favourites in the teams' Champions League clash on Wednesday.

Do you think Barcelona are favourites, not just for this tie but to win overall?

Barcelona in any situation is one of the favourites, because they have the ability, the history and the obligation to be one. I think this Barca is different to last year. Not saying better or worse, but different. They have virtues on an individual level and collective level that we all know and makes them a very hard team to beat.

How should Roma take on Barca?

Evidently knowing our rival's strengths, we have to try and stop them. But above all we have to be Roma, I think that we have our own strengths, our own philosophy and we cannot renounce it.

Your job is about talent detection. How do you feel when you watch Messi?

I like that we are able to be contemporaries of Messi, enjoying his play just as those who were contemporaries of Di Stefano did, those of Pepe did, those of Maradona. As a lover of football what I do is enjoy his game. Discovering players on the level of Messi is not easy because there are not so many Messis.

You will meet Rakitic again, a player you signed for Sevilla. Do you keep in touch?

We have a good relationship on a personal level. It's a relationship we had in our time at Sevilla and we've kept it up. He's one of the players I have a relationship with off the pitch. We will see each other, each one doing their best to defend their team,  but with the respect and friendship that we have.

Spain thrashed Argentina 6-1. Do you see them at a similar level to in 2010 when they won?

Spain will be one of the favourites but we can't think the World Cup is won already, it would be first of all a lack of respect to the other national teams, who I'm sure will have their chances, and it's also extra pressure on the team. Evidently we are in a good moment, with a run of games without losing since Lopetegui arrived. We are excited, but we can't think that everything is done already.