Dani Alves keen for Juventus to avoid ´strange´ Barcelona tie

Juventus defender Dani Alves would prefer to avoid playing former club Barcelona in the Champions League, unless they meet in the final.

The 33-year-old left the LaLiga champions last year to join Juve, having enjoyed a trophy-laden eight seasons at Barca.

A 1-0 win over Porto on Tuesday saw Juventus complete a 3-0 aggregate success as they reached the Champions League quarter-finals.

But Dani Alves has no interest in a clash against Barca, who completed a stunning comeback to get past Paris Saint-Germain.

“I don’t want to play Barcelona. It would be too strange for me,” Alves told beIN Sports.

“If I have to play Barca, I’d prefer it to be in the final.”

A first-half penalty from Paulo Dybala was enough for Juve to overcome a 10-man Porto in their second leg.

Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Leicester City are also into the last eight, with Atletico Madrid and Manchester City potentially joining them.