After beating Italian club Juventus to win the Champions League title last season, today FC Barcelona begins its quest to defend its title as the best soccer team in Europe.
Barcelona takes on Italian club AS Roma in the opening game of its Champions League campaign, aiming to become the first club to win the prestigious European tournament back-to-back since AC Milan defended its title in 1990.
Despite the excitement swirling around the star-studded squad, Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique said the team isn't focused on the possibility of consecutive titles.
"We'll try to do it, but it's not pressure but quite the opposite," he was quoted as saying by Reuters. "When the ball starts to move there are no champions and no favorites but 32 teams who want to win the title."
"The goal of winning a second consecutive Champions League does not bring added pressure," Enrique said during a news conference Tuesday. "It's a marvelous incentive worthy of all the Barca family and the team."
Following a year that saw the Catalan club hoist a trio of trophies for winning the Champions League, La Liga Spain's professional soccer league, and the Cope del Rey, it's no surprise that Barcelona is feeling confident.
Barcelona also beat Roma 3-0 in a friendly last month.
Led by world-class strikers Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, Barcelona takes the field at 2:45 p.m. ET. The game will be aired on Fox Sports 1.
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