Javi Martinez has said his team will have to “fight” and give their all to go past Sevilla in the Champions League.
“Maybe people think they’re not as good as Barcelona or Real Madrid but I think they are,” the 29-year-old said ahead of Tuesday’s first leg in Spain. “If we are not at 100 percent, they can beat us.”
“It’s a good example [of what might happen]. I think Sevilla deserved to win both games, in Sevilla and in Manchester,” Martinez added. “They scored two goals in the most difficult moments of the game [at Old Trafford].
They acted and played like a big team. That is why they are dangerous.”
The Spain international credited Sevilla’s three consecutive Europa League triumphs (2014, 2015, 2016) for their ability to negotiate high-pressure international matches.
“They know how to play important games, they know how to do it,” he said.
Martinez, a former Athletic Bilbao player, also cautioned that the German champions had to be prepared for a noisy reception at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.
“They scream very loudly. When Athletic Bilbao [go there], it’s always a good atmosphere. It’s like a party,” he said. “I think it will be the same against Bayern because they have to celebrate they are in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
“It will be like a party but they won’t give us anything. To beat them we have to fight very hard. Otherwise, we will never win in Sevilla.”
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