Barcelona coach, Xavi Hernandez, is running this version of the Champions League with a dream of winning the title, especially after the recent strong reinforcements.
In a press conference today, Tuesday, on the eve of facing Czech Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League group stage, Xavi said that “the main goal is to get past the group stage. The competition and qualifying for the round of 16. A dream costs nothing. Why can’t we win this competition?”
The Catalan coach urged his players to “show a lot of humility” to face a championship, which Barcelona has not won since 2015.
Victoria Plzen, who Xavi described as “complicated” and dependent on physical strength, will be the first test for Barca in a group that also includes Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
The Barcelona coach admitted that he would rotate against the Czech team after beating Seville 3-0 in La Liga, and stressed that “it is necessary to start well and secure the three points at home”, before the difficult matches against the German and Italian teams.
Miralem Pjanic, who did not train with his teammates today, pending the completion of his departure from the Camp Nou, will be the confirmed absentee from tomorrow’s match.
Xavi highlighted that the Bosnian player “could have helped us, but he decided to leave and look for more minutes and more opportunities. He was a great professional.”
Similarly, Marcos Alonso and Hector Bellerin will not be on Xavi’s calculations for this match, as the coach believes that they still need “more physical training” in the upcoming training sessions, although they are expected to be available for the next league match.
