Lionel Messi's comments in a recent interview have upped the pressure on Barcelona winning the UEFA Champions League, Suarez revealed. In a recent interview with Catalunya Radio, the Argentinian forward declared that his club is ready to compete with Real Madrid – who have been handicapped with Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane – for this season's UEFA Champions League title.
"Real Madrid is less strong without Cristiano Ronaldo in their squad, as obviously, he is one of the best in the world," Messi declared.
"Juventus are a clear favorite to win the Champions League now they have Cristiano Ronaldo. I was surprised by his decision, as I didn't expect him to leave Madrid or go to Juventus. It's a very good team.
"We've gone out in the quarter-finals for three years running and the last one was the most painful for the way it came about. We have to aim for the trophy because we can do it.
His comments come after he delivered a similar speech to fans before the Joan Gamper Trophy match against Boca Juniors back in August. With the fans receiving the message in good faith the Barca skipper's teammate, Luis Suarez, believes the task has become paramount than ever.
"Messi's already put the pressure on in terms of titles," Suarez joked in an interview with RAC1.
"But now it's up to us to perform on the pitch. After the Gamper game, we spoke about the pressure he had put us under [laughs].
"But that shows what Lionel is about, how desperate he is to win. I hope what he wished for comes true.
"He's really motivated, even more so after the World Cup and the Champions League," the Uruguayan forward added.
"Now he's the captain, the leader and he wants to lift trophies. We have a quality team and a coach to be able to win everything.
"But it's a really difficult competition to win and [Messi] can't win it on his own. It has to be a collective effort, as good as he is. We have to be compact. Leo deserves more.
"Obviously it's infuriating [for us] because Madrid has won the Champions League in each of the last three years. They have made history and it's a thorn in our side."
Barcelona, who won last season's La Liga, was drawn in Group B of this season's European club tournament and will start their journey to achieving the season's objective by playing against PSV, Inter Milan, and Tottenham Hotspur.
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