Silence, it’s playing. Shaken by an arbitration scandal since mid-February, the FC Barcelona locker room “does not talk” about extra-sporting subjects and is only preparing to receive a “hit” Real Madrid who will “want to take revenge” on Wednesday (9 p.m. ) in the semi-final second leg of the King’s Cup, assured Xavi on Tuesday.
“Extra-sporting subjects do not enter the locker room. We talk about what we have to correct, how to position ourselves… We are not talking about Negreira (the former head of Spanish arbitration at the heart of the case), Tebas (the president of the Spanish League) , or UEFA… We just want to prove that we can beat them again, ”assured Xavi on Tuesday at a press conference.
Xavi places Real in the position of “favorite”
The Blaugrana technician quickly went on to the factors to watch on the side of Madrid, beaten 1-0 in the first leg, during this new clasico. “They will be affected, they will want to take their revenge. They lost the last three clasicos, but tomorrow it will be another battle. It’s a place in the final that is at stake, ”recalled Xavi.
The former glory of Camp Nou expects an “aggressive Real, who will want to deprive us of balls. They know that without the ball, we suffer, so they will come and press us high, they did it on the way out and they had been superior in possession of the ball, ”he recalled.
“The Spanish Super Cup final, and also the La Liga match at home, are examples of how we want to play” against Real, slipped the Blaugrana coach, who sees Real as “favorite”. “We will try to corner them in their camp, we should show a lot of personality to get the ball,” he insisted.