Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri already has his eyes on the quarter-finals of the Champions League after knocking out Tottenham and there is only one team he is hoping to avoid.
Heung-min Son gave Spurs the lead at Wembley but the Italian champions struck twice in three second-half minutes to win 2-1 on the night and 4-3 on aggregate to move into the last eight.
Juve, who have reached the final of the competition in two of the past three seasons, are still looking to lift the famous trophy for the first time since 1996.
Massimiliano Allegri speaks following his team’s victory over Tottenham on Wednesday
The Juventus manager joked that he hopes to avoid Barcelona in the quarter-finals
And Allegri is hoping one team does not get in his way again as he bids to end that 22-year wait.
‘The only team I don’t want is Barcelona,’ he replied when asked by ViaSport if there were any teams he saw as favourable match-ups in the next round. ‘Every year, Barcelona, Barcelona, Barcelona. Now stop!’
The Old Lady have faced off against the Spanish giants three times in the last four years, coming up short in this year’s group stages, beating them in last season’s quarter-finals and losing in the 2014-15 final in Berlin.
Barca, who remain undefeated in La Liga, have looked almost unstoppable the season and are one of the favourites to win the Champions League.
Speaking after the game, Allegri accepted his side were not among the front runners to go all the way but insisted they can certainly compete in the latter stages.
Lionel Messis celebrates scoring against Juventus in the group stages back in September
Juventus players celebrate after knocking out Barcelona in last season’s quarter-finals
Barca players congratulate Juventus after beating them in the 2015 Champions League final
‘First and foremost, we’re really happy that we won and made it through to the last eight,’ he said.
‘I’ve always said since I first came to Juventus that our ambition is to go as far as possible. But, you just have to look around you. We’re in the last eight and there’s some really good teams.
‘People talk about Real Madrid and Barcelona, who are perhaps up there with the favourites – although that doesn’t mean that we’re not going to be able to compete. Bayern Munich are another team that can do some damage further down the line.
‘For the time being, we’re happy with where we are and happy to compete at this level.’
The draw for the quarter-finals will be held on March 16.
The Italian outfit salute their fans after beating Spurs at Wembley on Wednesday night
Allegri insists that his team can compete with Europe’s heavyweights in the latter stages