“We are in a good moment. Our team can even still win the championship,” insists Xavi, ambitious before approaching the quarter-final of the Champions League against PSG. First leg Wednesday, at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday. “Luis Enrique’s team is also in a good moment and he is one of the best coaches in the world, but we want to beat them and reach the semi-final,” he still assures, declaring himself “optimistic” about the participation of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong. “We’ll see tomorrow,” he slips.

Ambitious Xavi? Yes. But the Barcelona coach is not bragging. On the contrary ! Luis Enrique promises that FC Barcelona is necessarily the favorite given its record in C1, with five coronations against zero on the Parisian side. Xavi doesn’t exactly have the same vision… When asked about Parisian Ousmane Dembélé, his former player, he said this: “He’s an excellent player and PSG has a good team because they have players like him. PSG is the favorite to win tomorrow. The former Spain international also notes that Paris “is one of the best teams in the world in transition” and that “it will be hard to have the ball in the opposing camp”.

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And added: “It’s not a strategy. They are favorites because they have a great team, they have players who can allow them to win the C1 for a long time. I know Qatar well. The goal is to win! We’re excited, but we’re not the favorite. But it’s not a strategy, I really think that PSG are favorites. Xavi even goes so far as to call it a “challenge”. “It’s a challenge and a big responsibility. The supporters are very excited, there is a lot of desire to see the team win. I am positive. We are playing a team that can win the Champions League, with one of the best coaches in the world. That’s why it’s a challenge,” he explains.

If the capital club is the favorite in his mind, it is also because of the presence in the Parisian ranks of a certain Kylian Mbappé. Or not… “Mbappé, Dembélé, Randal Kolo Muani, Vitinha… It’s the PSG team. The scorer is Mbappé, we know that. You have to be aggressive, mark it, be attentive,” he emphasizes. The return match is scheduled for April 16, on the lawn of the Monjuic stadium. The Camp Nou is in fact still under construction.