Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez revealed that his side will be battle-ready against Paris Saint Germain in the second leg quarterfinal of the Champions League at the Olympic Stadium Lluis Companys on Tuesday.
The Spanish club will head into the game on the back of their hard-fought 3-2 victory in the first leg against the French side. A brace from Raphinha and a strike from Andreas Christensen ensured the win, notwithstanding the goals from Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha in the encounter.
Barcelona has won five times against the French club in the competition; a performance that Xavi is hoping to build on and has promised not to leave any stone unturned in his quest to achieve his target in the match, he has termed a war.
According to Diario AS, Xavi said, “We have a war on Tuesday (against PSG). We want to do something big. The match comes during our best form this season.”
Barcelona has not faired well in the tournament recently, having failed to move past the group stage in the last two seasons.
Xavi Praises Joao Felix
Barcelona boss Xavi has lauded the performance of Joao Felix against Cadiz during a La Liga game at Nuevo Mirandilla Stadium on Saturday.
The forward scored the only goal of the match against Cadiz as Barca remained second on the league table, with 70 points from 31 games, eight points below league leader, Real Madrid. The goal his Felix’s seventh this season in the Spanish topflight.
Impressed by the audacious and individual display, Xavi has showered an encomium on the 24-year-old Portuguese star.
He said, “Felix is a very talented player, yes. He’s at ease, he’s still happy. He played a great game. We leave him a bit of freedom of movement to exploit his talent and I think he has done wonderfully. The goal was made all by himself.”
Felix is on loan from Atletico Madrid and may wish to continue his stay with Barcelona beyond the 2023/2024 season.
