Although Barcelona will play the opening match of the Champions League on Wednesday against Pilsen as the best candidate, coach Xavi Hernandez warns of a difficult confrontation.
According to him, West Bohemians excel in physical preparation and have nothing to lose. Although the Catalan club is not one of the main contenders for the entire tournament, the 42-year-old former midfielder dreams of leading the team to win the “Ear” Cup.
“We are entering the Champions League, it is an honor to be able to play in such a competition. We have a difficult match ahead. Viktoria Plzen has practically nothing to lose, it is a team that has been underestimated. We are facing a team that plays physically,” Xavi said at the press conference. Tough discount. But we want to win first.”
The other teams in the strong third group are Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. The top two teams advance to the elimination stage, and the third-placed team awaits the spring stage of the European League. “We have a difficult group,” Xavi said. “But there is no point in dreaming. We have to get to the last 16 at least and try to win the Champions League.”
With Barcelona, he would like to build on the victory in the Champions League from his career in the role of coach. Xavi said: “We will fight and dream of winning. If I did not dream of winning the Champions League, I would not be here and go home. I can’t imagine competing without wanting to win.”
“Of course we have to be humble, and saying we are the favourites (for the all-around tournament) is probably stupid. It’s a complicated group. But the goal is trophies. Why can’t we win the whole tournament? We have to start with three points tomorrow.”
His team won three times and drew once in the opening four rounds of the Spanish League. Xavi did not rule out that he would make changes to the squad against Pilsen. “There will be some rotation. Some players are tired and the last game in Seville was a war. We have a very wide squad,” Xavi said.
Barcelona has been leading since last November. “We’ve improved a lot since November. I’m happy with the progress we’ve made. Positional play, improvement in the attacking phase, and a better understanding of how to change positions on the pitch,” Xavi praised.
