“We will all watch it together” - Xavi confirms Barcelona players will follow Inter vs Viktoria clash before facing Bayern
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has confirmed that his players will watch Inter Milan and Viktoria Plzen's clash in the UEFA Champions League in the dressing room before they take on Bayern Munich in their highly-anticipated clash at Camp Nou. Both fixtures take place on Wednesday, October 26, with the Italian outfit playing their game before the Catalans.
The La Liga giants will be praying for a miracle from the Czech-based outfit. Barca will be hoping that Plzen earn a win or a draw against Inter to give them a lifeline in Europe's elite tournament this season.
Five reasons to believe in Barcelona's Champions League miracle sport.es/en/news/barca/…
To put things in perspective, Barcelona will automatically miss out on the knockout phase of the Champions League this season if Inter beat Plzen tomorrow. The Blaugrana are third in Group C with just four points to their name in the competition as it stands. The Italians are second with seven points, plus a superior head-to-head record with just two games to go.
During his news conference on Tuesday, Xavi admitted that his side needs a miracle to get out of this complicated situation. He also confirmed that his team will watch the Inter Milan and Plzen match-up in the dressing room, which will kick off two hours before Barcelona take on Bayern Munich for their reverse fixture.
Xavi said (as per ESPN):
"More than believing in miracles, we maintain a small hope that something can happen."
"Look, it's complicated. We are in an uncomfortable situation where we no longer depend on ourselves, but you should never lose hope.
Barcelona coach Xavi reveals his players will gather to watch Inter-Viktoria Plzen tomorrow before their home clash against Bayern Munich. football-italia.net/barcelona-play… #Inter #FCIM #Barcelona #Calcio #Xavi
He added:
"We will meet at Camp Nou two hours before the Bayern game and we will be following the Inter match. We will all watch it together in the dressing room before we play."
Xavi's tips Barcelona to show that they can 'compete at this level' against Bayern Munich
The Catalan giants fell to a 2-0 defeat against Bayern Munich despite having better numbers than the Bavarians in Germany. They completed more passes, had more possession and took more shots than Bayern. This time though, Xavi has tipped his men to beat the Bundesliga giants in performances to secure three points.
He said:
"Bayern are an intense, physical, well-coached side, one of the best in the world, and it is an important game for us regardless of what happens in Milan.
"We want to win this game and show that we can compete at this level. When we lost in Munich, we played well but we were not clinical and the result was bad. This time we want the performance and the result."
Xavi's men will be praying for a winless Plzen side to pull off an upset tomorrow, or the Blaugrana will drop down into the UEFA Europa League for the second consecutive year.