Alves warns Barcelona against complacency

Barcelona’s Brazilian defender Daniel Alves has warned against complacency after the Spanish side coasted into the Champions League quarter-finals after their 4-0 defeat of Stuttgart.

Argentina striker Lionel Messi scored twice on home turf during the Spanish side’s rout on Wednesday, which left them with an aggregate score of 5-1 and as Spain’s only team in the last eight ahead of Friday’s draw.

Despite that achievement Alves said it’s early days yet.

“We have to see ourselves as just another team in the next stage, that is what he have to do if we want to remain alive,” the told Barcelona’s television station Barca TV on Thursday.

“It is important not to lose our humility, our mental strength, because in a competition as tough as the Champions League, the hardest thing is keeping the level of the game high.”

The Champions League final, on May 22, will be held at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium of Barcelona’s arch-rivals Real Madrid.