Champions League: Xavi’s Barcelona face Beneficia in must-win game
- Xavi will make his Champions League debut as Barcelona coach on Tuesday
- The team comes to the game with a 1-0 win over Espanyo;
- Barcelona are placed second on the Group E table
Xavi Hernandez, after making his debut as Barcelona manager this weekend, is set to face the Champions League test as Camp Nou hosts Beneficia on Tuesday. A must-win game will challenge the former Barca player, who believes the ‘team cannot ignore its principles’.
Barcelona’s performance against Benfica will determine their chances to qualify for the Champions League last 16. The team, in simple words, cannot afford to lose. They are placed second on the Group E table, leading Beneficia by two points. Group leaders Bayern Munich have qualified for the next round.
Also read: Ousmane Dembele could return to Barca lineup for Benfica clash: Xavi
Xavi’s men come to the game riding on a 1-0 win over Espanyol in La Liga. The home victory ended the team’s four-game winless streak in the league.
Against Espanyol, Barcelona needed Memphis Depay’s 48th-minute penalty to move up to the sixth spot.
“We cannot ignore our principles,” said Xavi on Saturday, after the win.
“The players I’ve picked are not the best ones to launch missiles, they’re the ones to have the ball, to press high, to make the pitch bigger and while that gives people a heart attack, it gives us the chance to play the game how we want to.”
Also read: Champions League: Sergio Ramos poised to make PSG debut as Messi and co face Manchester City
“We had to go at the opposition, dominate, have the ball. It’s not a physical problem, it’s a football problem,” he added.
Barcelona will take a flight to Germany to play their last group game against Bayern Munich.
Talking about the battle on Tuesday, Xavi said that the ‘game is another final’ for the 2015 champions.
Also read: Which teams have qualified for FIFA World Cup 2022?
Barcelona probable lineup (4-3-3) – ter Stegen; Mingueza, Araujo, Pique, Alba; Gavi, Busquets, de Jong; Demir, Depay, Coutinho
Beneficia probable lineup (3-4-2-1) –Vlachodimos; Otamendi, Morato, Vertonghen; Gilberto, Weigl, Pizzi, Grimaldo; Nunez, Yeremchuk; Rafa
Related Articles
ADVERTISEMENT