Xavi: “We have grown as a group.”

Barcelona will play Bayern Munich this evening at the Allianz Arena in the second round of the Champions League group stage, with kick-off scheduled at 9pm local time.

In his pre-match press conference yesterday that appeared on Mundo Deportivo, Xavi discussed what he expects from the game:

“It will be a very intense game, we will both want possession of the ball and be aggressive at times too. We will try to dominate possession, which won’t be easy. They have a similar style to us: pressing high up the pitch, having the ball and we use young players who make a difference.”

“Last year we had a very bad time and I think that this year we can compete better. However, no matter how much I talk, we have to show it on the pitch. Whatever happens tomorrow, whether we win, draw or lose, the result will not be definitive,” he added.

He also recalled the speech he gave to his players following their defeat last season:

“That day I told them that this was Barça, that we had to show personality. I think we have changed our mentality, we have gained in personality and mentality. Obviously, high-quality players have arrived since then, but we have grown as a group.”

The Barcelona coach also spoke highly of Julian Nagelsmann:

“He is one of the top coaches, they are very good at a lot of things.”

GSFN

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