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Xavi: "I Have an Expiry Date, Tomorrow the Club is What Matters"
One of the most crucial matches for Barcelona this season is approaching, the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 against the current Serie A champions, Napoli, led by Francesco Calzona.
Xavi Hernandez's Barcelona faces one of the toughest challenges in this football season, as they have to take on Napoli in the round of 16 second leg at the Montjuic Olympic Stadium. In the first leg, Barcelona struggled and managed to salvage a 1-1 draw at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Italy.
In light of this, the Barcelona coach gave his final statements before Tuesday's match against the Italians, stating that he expects the best from Napoli – a brave and daring Napoli that they are already familiar with.
"I expect a brave Napoli, one that dares to play from the back, that will press us high, that tries to have possession... somewhat similar to what we want. It could be a beautiful game for the spectators because they don't speculate. We are facing a great team," affirmed the Spaniard.
On the other hand, he emphasized that it's not about him; what matters is the team and the result they achieve to stay in the Champions League. "Tomorrow it's the club, it's the team, the players... I'm happy with them. Tomorrow is a day to be united; it's an opportunity, and we shouldn't be afraid. It's a chance to be among the top eight clubs in Europe, so we must be positive and compete," Hernandez concluded.
Barcelona has been absent from the round of 16 for nearly four years, so tomorrow they hope to break that streak and advance to the Champions League quarterfinals. Remember that the first leg ended with a 1-1 score, and Barcelona faced certain complications towards the end of the match. We'll see if they can progress to the next round this time.