Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman admitted that the new club president, Joan Laporta, "has a past with Messi that can be positive" in view of the Argentine footballer's continuity in the Barça team.

In the press conference prior to Barcelona-PSG for the second leg of the Champions League round of 16, Koeman stated that "it is good for Barça" to have a new president at the head of the entity, from whom he hopes that he can "improve things by thinking about the future of the club."

On his personal relationship with Laporta, Koeman explained that they had already greeted each other a few times in the past and that he also knows him "from Frank Rijkaard", the former Dutch coach who occupied the Barça bench during Laporta's first stage.

"He is a president who gives a lot of confidence to his players and is very involved in his position to help his coaches. He conveyed a few words to us in training and there was good vibes," he said.

Regarding the game against PSG, Koeman admitted that "the feelings are very different" regarding how the first leg ended, despite dragging "a bad result against".

In this sense, he acknowledged that the comeback against Sevilla "gave the team confidence", although he warned that "it is not comparable to overcome a 2-0 received away with a 1-4 victory at home".

"To win, we will have to play a round game and achieve maximum effectiveness with the goals. Hopefully we can complicate their lives. There is always life, but it will depend on how we start the game, the energy we have and, above all, our success in the face to goal ", sentenced Koeman.

Casualties

The coach said that "Messi can decide any game", but also stated that, to try to come back, it will not only depend on him, but that "the whole team must be at their highest level."

"We must give our maximum, the worst that can happen to us is to finish the game with the feeling that we have not given everything," he said.

In the injury chapter, Koeman regretted that throughout this season he has never been able to count on all the players and affirmed that they have "bad luck with the centrals."

And it is that, to face PSG, Ronald Araujo will be out again due to injury.

About the Uruguayan defender, Koeman said that "if everything goes well, he could be available for next Monday."

"We forced

Araujo to

return a bit

, but now we don't want to. He still has to train more with the group," said the coach.

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