Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has refuted suggestions that the Catalan club is under immense pressure to win the Champions League ahead of his side’s quarter-final clash against Manchester United.

The centre-back was asked if there is pressure on Barcelona to perform, especially with eternal rivals Real Madrid winning the last three Champions Leagues while his team has failed to get past the quarterfinals.

Pique pointed to Barcelona’s performance in other competitions during the same period, mainly the La Liga and refused to be drawn into a comparison with Real Madrid’s recent achievements.  The Spain international feels that the pressure factor kicks in only if a team has not won the competition for 20 years or so.

“We don’t care what Real Madrid have won, as things go as they go and history is what it is,” he said at a pre-match press conference ahead of the quarter-final against Manchester United, according to Marca.

“They have won this tournament several times in recent years, while we won other titles. To compare the titles won is something for you all to do. We have to be happy with what we’ve achieved.

“We don’t feel pressure. There is a lot of excitement, not pressure. We would feel pressure if we hadn’t won the competition in 20 years. I don’t want to compare this season with other years.”

Pique knows that getting a result at Old Trafford is not easy, despite Barcelona being on good dynamics at the moment.

“We’re in a good situation, we’re playing well and we’re achieving results,” the central defender stated.

“We come here aware of how difficult it is to play at Old Trafford,” he added.

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