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After a two-week hiatus due to the international break, Barcelona return to La Liga action on Saturday night as they host Las Palmas at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Montjuic.
The Blaugrana go into the game on the back of a 3-0 victory over Atletico Madrid before the break. And they will be eager to build on that ahead of the huge UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie against PSG on April 10.
At the same time, Barcelona will also want to put pressure on La Liga leaders Real Madrid, who do not play until Sunday night, with a win over Las Palmas that would cut the gap between the two teams to five points.
Xavi talks Las Palmas clash
Addressing the media ahead of the game against Garcia Pimienta’s side, Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez first of all expressed his relief that no players were injured while away on national team duty.
“The players have all come back well, luckily,” he said.
Discussing the challenge that Las Palmas will pose on Saturday, Xavi remarked: “Las Palmas don’t waste the ball, they have very technically gifted players, Barça DNA, you have to take the ball away from them. They come with little to lose, it can’t be easy for us.”
On whether it will be a dangerous match for his team, the 44-year-old said: “I’ve told them to forget about the national teams in order to continue this positive dynamic. It’s a very important match to continue fighting for the league title. We need the fans.”
On the transition from national team football back to club football for players, Xavi said: “I’m worried about the side coming back from the national team and adapting to club mode.
“We’re going to focus on La Liga, we believe we can fight for it and it’s vital to put pressure on Real Madrid.”
Team news and players
The Barcelona manager also confirmed that Marc-Andre ter Stegen is fit and available after an injury scare in training while ruling out Andreas Christensen out of the tie.
“Everyone is fine and available, with…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/xavi-talks-lamine-ferran-lewandowski-roque-cubarsi-gundogan-ahead-of-barcelona-vs-las-palmas/
Author : Michel Durant
Publish date : 2024-03-29 12:36:00
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