Xavi has challenged Barcelona to demonstrate their growth under his leadership when they face a huge UEFA Champions League test at Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
Barca have only beaten Bayern twice in 13 attempts and have never won an away game.
In the UEFA Champions League, the Blaugrana have lost eight of their 11 matches against the Bundesliga giants – double the number of defeats inflicted on them by any other opponent (four against Milan, Chelsea and Paris Saint Germain).
Barcelona suffered one of their most embarrassing defeats in history against Bayern in August 2020 when they were thumped 8-2 in the quarter-finals in Lisbon and were beaten twice by Julian Nagelsmann’s men last season.
But the Catalan giants have steadily improved since November 2021 when legendary midfielder Xavi was appointed as head coach.
Now it’s up to him to prove it, as Xavi told reporters on Monday: “I think there’s a lot of expectation on us this season.
“Tomorrow’s result won’t change anything, but it’s true that winning here, in a stadium where we’ve never won, is a challenge.
“We’ve been working together for 10 months and we’ve grown. We have the feeling and the challenge that we can win this game and that we can finally change the momentum.”
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world and tomorrow we want to show that the dynamic has changed.
“However, let’s remember that tomorrow we are only playing for three points.”
Tuesday’s clash will be a special occasion for Robert Lewandowski, the former Bayern striker who joined Barca ahead of the new season.
Lewandowski scored a club record 69 Champions League goals for Bayern, including 38 in 37 games at the Allianz Arena.
“I see Roberto very well,” added Xavi. “He’s very motivated, he’s rested the next day and he’ll be fresh. I imagine it will be very special for him.
“Tomorrow we will try to show our personality and beat one of the best teams in the world.”
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