Xavi reacts to PSG draw: ‘Very complicated, but it’s time to dream’
The boss knows the quarter-finals will be a big challenge
Barcelona boss Xavi Hernández spoke to the press for the first time since Friday’s Champions League quarter-final draw that set up a big meeting between the Catalans and Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain, and the Barça boss is looking forward to what he thinks is a brutal tie against the French champions.
Speaking to the media on Saturday the coach was asked about his sensations ahead of the club’s first Champions League Last Eight tie in four years, and Xavi was full of praise for PSG and his former Barça coach and thinks they are the favorites. But that doesn’t mean Xavi doesn’t think the Blaugrana have a chance.
“It’s a very complicated [draw], one of the most complicated rivals we could have gotten. I know Luis Enrique and his staff, how they work. I have confidence and hope. We have one of the most difficult rivals, but we have the second leg at home. It’s the moment to dream.
“Maybe they are [favorites], I don’t like those conversations. Maybe you can say PSG are favorites, but we have more Champions Leagues in our history. But at the economic level there’s no doubt, comparing what they’ve spent with what we have. We all saw the draw together and the feeling is positive. We have to show it on the pitch, but we have hopes and we want to win. It’s a decisive moment to showcase that desire.”
Source: Mundo Deportivo
Barça will undoubtedly relish the role of underdogs against a PSG team that will be healthier, is a lot wealthier and has not only one of the very best players in the world but a more experienced manager who knows Barça well and will be expected to outcoach Xavi on the biggest stage.
PSG should win it, but they’ve never won the big European ties they were expected to over the last decade. And if they shrink in the big moment once again, Xavi and his troops will be ready to pounce.
Source: barcablaugranes.com
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