Xavi praised Plzen at press conference, talked about his ambition to win the Champions League

Viktoria Plzeň will play the opening match of the Champions League group stage on Wednesday, when they will take on Barcelona at the famous Camp Nou. What did the home team’s coach and their player icon Xavi say before the match?

Both teams entered the league season very similarly. Barcelona only drew in the first round at the Camp Nou, but they have already won the next three matches and are only two points behind Real Madrid.

Viktoria also started with a draw, and after sharing points with Teplice, they only won. It has managed to beat Slovácko and Liberec, has the same number of points as the first Slavia and has a match with Zbrojovka Brno to play.

“We are entering the Champions League, it is a privilege for us to play in such a competition. It’s going to be a tricky match. Viktoria Plzeň has practically nothing to lose, they are an underrated team. We are up against a physical team, a tough opponent. But we want to get off to a winning start,” Xavi told a news conference.

While Plzen is going to enjoy the group stage, Barcelona is under pressure. The Catalans failed to advance from the group to the playoffs last year and then crashed out of the Europa League in the quarterfinals.

But much has changed with the arrival of Robert Lewandowski and Barcelona can now have the highest ambitions. Remember how the Polish cannonballer dragged Bayern Munich, whether the club was doing well or not.

“Of course we have to be humble, to say we are favourites for the overall title is probably stupid. It’s a complicated group. But titles are the goal. Why can’t we win the whole competition? Tomorrow we have to start with three points,” continued the Barcelona legend.

Xavi has been sitting on the Barcelona bench since November last year and has come a long way in that time. He has kicked off the Champions League with the team, for a while it even looked like he would return it to the title fight, but first and foremost he has improved his game.

It is thanks to the former best midfielder in the world that the Victorians can compete on Wednesday with talents like Nico or Gavi, who have been given a chance by the young coach. Both have even played for the Spanish national A-team.

“We have improved a lot since November. I’m happy with the progress we’ve made. Thepositional play, the improvement in the attacking phase, the better understanding of how to change places on the pitch,” Xavi added.

Source: FC Barcelona