Gerard Pique Says Barcelona Still Wary of Manchester United After PSG Comeback

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has said his team will not allow any complacency to creep in when they face Manchester United in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final. 

The Blaugrana were 1-0 winners in the first leg of the contest on Wednesday, with Luke Shaw's own goal enough to separate the sides on the night at Old Trafford.

The away win puts Barcelona in a commanding position at the midway point of the tie. However, Pique said they will not be taking the Red Devils lightly after what they accomplished in the previous round against Paris Saint-Germain, per Football Espana:

"It is always very difficult to come and play here and particularly to win. We have seen the situation with United against PSG in the previous round. They had a bigger advantage and look what happened.

"Scoring an early goal settled us and gave us peace of mind. We performed well in the first half, and when our chance came along, we took it, and that is the most important thing."

In the last 16, United were beaten 2-0 at home by PSG in the first leg, and their chances of progression were considered to be minimal. 

However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's injury-ravaged side managed to pull off a tremendous comeback in the French capital, with Marcus Rashford's last-gasp penalty seeing the Red Devils to a 3-1 success on the night and an aggregate win on away goals.

Barcelona got themselves into a position to move into the semi-finals with this goal, as Shaw couldn't prevent Luis Suarez's header diverting off him and beyond David De Gea (U.S. only):

After that, the La Liga outfit were not at their best going forward but defended well, preventing United from having a single shot on target. Per OptaJose, Pique was crucial to the team's defensive effort:

Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC also praised the former Spain international:

Although Barcelona slumped to a 3-0 loss away from home against Roma a year ago in the second leg of their quarter-final with Roma, overall they've been much more solid under manager Ernesto Valverde.

Despite the Catalan club's tradition for free-flowing football, Valverde has no issue shutting a game down when required. On Wednesday, Barcelona finished the game with four central midfielders on the pitch.

Rory Smith of the New York Times praised the impact of the coach and compared this version of Barcelona to the recently-dominant Real Madrid:

What that Los Blancos side also had in their successful Champions League triumphs were strong defenders. Pique, who appears refreshed after his retirement from the international game, is emerging as that figure.

It wouldn't be a surprise if the game at the Camp Nou gets nervy for Barcelona, although it would be a shock if they caved in a manner similar to PSG.