Getty Xavi Hernandez against Inter.
Barcelona midfielder Pedri has revealed what manager Xavi Hernandez told his players after the team’s midweek disappointment in the Champions League.
The Catalans were held to a 3-3 draw against Inter at the Camp Nou which means the Nerazzurri will qualify for the knockout stages of the competition, instead of Barcelona, if they beat Viktoria Plzen next time out in Group C.
Pedri told ESPN that Xavi made it clear that the players need to forget about the Champions League as quickly as possible and focus on La Liga. The team are currently top of the table ahead of Sunday’s crunch trip to Real Madrid.
“We were dealt a hard blow in the Champions League. It’s not the result we expected. After a game like that you think about many things that you could have done better. We need to move on. We need to approach the Clasico in the best possible way,” he said. “He [Xavi] tells us that we have lost an opportunity that for us was very important which was the Champions League Now we have LaLiga left and we are first and we want to continue in that position.”
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Pedri Previews ‘Beautiful Clasico’
Pedri is looking forward to facing old rivals Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Los Blancos will be favorites for the game, but the Catalans will know they ran out 4-0 winners on their last visit to the Spanish capital.
“It’s a beautiful game for us. Seeing as we couldn’t give a good result in midweek to our fans, we hope we can do so in the Clasico. But we have to change our mindset as quickly as possible ahead of El Clasico,” he said. “We know that if we are at our level and give our best, we can calmly take the game. That is what we have to do, to go there with maximum enthusiasm to get it done.”
Barcelona head into the match still unbeaten in La Liga so far in 2022-23. Xavi’s side have also conceded just one goal in eight matches and boast the best defensive record in Europe’s top five leagues.
Ter Stegen vs Benzema
One of the reasons for Barcelona’s fine defensive record is the form of goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The German stopper has saved 19 of the 20 shots he has faced in La Liga this season but knows he faces a real test against Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema.
“In the last years he was amazing, you have to admit that. We are going to need to find a way to stop him. It’s not only about Benzema,” he said. “They also have Vinicius and others. In general, they have a very competitive team and we have to be minimum as competitive.”
The 30-year-old also admitted Barcelona need to improve after the draw to Inter and feels his team need more stability in their play.
“There is always room for improvement.We are analysing day by day what we can do better. But of course we have many things to improve on,” he said. “We are facing big teams in the Champions League. We played Bayern and Inter. They know exactly what they have to do. We need to be more stable over 90 minutes which is the most difficult part for us right now.”
A win for Barcelona over Real Madrid would move Xavi’s side three points clear of their rivals and would provide some consolation for their Champions League disappointment.
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