Several times the word miracle was heard in the press room of the sports city Joan Gamper before the Barça-Bayern and Inter-Viktoria matches. What happens at the Meazza can leave the Blaugrana out of the Champions League, where Barcelona's future hangs in the balance. The difficulty of this carambola is very present in the environment, more pessimistic than usual. "Miracle? We have a small hope. We are in a very uncomfortable situation. There are many numbers that we do not pass. We really see it as complicated because you don't depend on yourself”, confessed Xavi.
The coach repeated that the competition has been cruel to his team but he also criticized himself. “We have not been at the level in the Champions League in some situations. We have had it in our hands and now we no longer depend on us, ”he analyzed. “We didn't do our homework in Munich or Milan. They have been our mistakes ”, he abounded in that feeling of impotence that has accompanied him for a few weeks in Europe. "We know it's complicated because it doesn't depend on us," confirmed Eric Garcia.
For this reason, Xavi sees Bayern's visit as a "football revenge match", especially since his Barça is shrinking in duels against big rivals, whom they have not yet won: defeats in Munich, Milan and the classic and 3-3 against Inter at the Camp Nou.
“The thing in Munich was a football disgrace. You see the game repeated and you do not understand that we did not even score, ”he assured. So he intends that this time his team does give the chest even if he can go out on the field already eliminated if Inter has beaten Viktoria. “We will watch the game together in the locker room. Regardless of what happens in Milan, we have to show that we have that level and that we can live up to this type of team”, he harangued his players.
In addition, it is Bayern, which has become a stone that crosses over and over again in the Blaugrana path, who have not been able to with the Bavarians in their last five matches, including the painful 2-8 in Lisbon. “It is a team that is top-3 in the world”, Eric Garcia defined them. “We are motivated to show that we can compete with them. We had a great time in Munich. Now to the game we must add the result. It will be an intense match. They are aggressive. You have to match them ”, prescribed the technician.
Bayern traveled without their starting goalkeeper Neuer, their captain, and without two mainstays like Sané and Lucas. For his part, Xavi announced that he has the eleven decided and everything indicates that Bellerín will be the right back after Sergi Roberto's injury. “It is a very important loss. I have a lot of confidence in him. Assisting (Inter) and scoring (Athletic). It's a shame. We have Héctor, who we have recovered, and other options”.
Barcelona will try to stay on the wave after thrashing Villarreal and Athletic in the League. “You don't have to loosen your mentality. We have reacted after the classic. There is no need to come down from this situation of trust. You have to follow that path. We have to show that we can compete against Bayern”, he repeated.
Hope is the last thing to be lost and Xavi still doesn't want to look at possible rivals in the Europa League. "Not yet. It's a posibility. If it happens, we will compete like lions to win the Europa League”, he pointed out.
