Monaco’s Mohammed Salisu is on the brink of a significant milestone in his career as he prepares to make his Champions League debut against Barcelona.
The Ghanaian defender views this match as a crucial test, especially given Monaco’s impressive unbeaten start to the Ligue 1 season.
“Yeah, I think this will be my debut in the Champions League and it’s an important game for the team and for me as well so we need to focus on the game,” Salisu remarked in an exclusive interview with Flashscore.
This won’t be Salisu’s first encounter with the Catalan giants. During his tenure at Real Valladolid, he faced Barcelona multiple times in La Liga, gaining valuable experience against one of Europe’s elite clubs. More recently, Salisu was part of the Monaco squad that stunned Barcelona with a 3-0 victory in the pre-season Gamper Trophy.
However, the landscape has shifted dramatically since that pre-season clash. Barcelona has hit a rich vein of form, winning every game and currently sitting top of La Liga. This resurgence presents a formidable challenge for Salisu and his Monaco teammates.
Despite Barcelona’s current form, Salisu remains confident, drawing from his recent experience against the Spanish side.
“Yeah it wasn’t an easy game but we won and you know how they play and you know how they have good players up front, dangerous so just need to you know go with everything we have like we played last time,” he stated.
Salisu’s cautious optimism reflects the delicate balance between respecting Barcelona’s quality and maintaining belief in Monaco’s ability to compete at the highest level.
The two sides will face off on Thursday as the new format of the Champions League kicks off this week.