Barcelona will lock horns with Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Club side away at San Mames on Sunday in Matchweek 27 of La Liga.
The Blaugrana do not have fond memories of their previous visit to San Mames for they were eliminated from the Copa del Rey by the Basque club. And they will be hoping to avoid a similar fate and come away with all three points tomorrow.
With Girona playing a relatively easier fixture against Mallorca, Barça must make sure they do not slip up against Athletic to maintain pressure on their Catalan rivals on the league table.
Ahead of the game, manager Xavi Hernandez addressed the media during his customary pre-match press conference, discussing various topics.
On facing Athletic Club
Starting things off, the Barcelona boss praised Athletic Club and the intensity with which they play, especially at home, saying:
“I haven’t seen all the teams, but in La Liga, they are the most intense. And in San Mamés they double that intensity. And they also play very good football and that’s thanks to Valverde, who is a great coach. He showed that here at Barça. They are the most physical opponent in every way.”
“They recently knocked us out of the Cup. They are the most intense opponent in the league. I think they’ve only lost one game there against Madrid. And they are confident. If we win we’ll take a big step forward,” he added.
Coming on the back of a 4-0 win against Getafe, confidence will be high in Barça camp, and Xavi insisted that they had rediscovered their mojo heading into tomorrow’s clash.
“It’s an ideal scenario to match them in intensity, rhythm and soul. Against Getafe we’ve rediscovered our game. We will have space and it will be a match similar to the one against Getafe,” the manager remarked.
On whether the team is in its best moment this season, he added: “We’re fine, less tense. We’ve played a string of good matches, but tomorrow is a different story. Tomorrow is an important test.”
On whether…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/xavi-talks-pedri-iniesta-lewandowski-ferran-roque-inigo-casado-ahead-of-athletic-club-vs-barcelona/
Author : Michel Durant
Publish date : 2024-03-02 12:36:22
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