Xavi and João Felix press conference ahead of the Champions League game against Porto. Xavi spoke about Experience from the team, the team strength, topping the group, Fermin Lopez, the team’s performance in the last UCL, injured players, Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Felix and Porto.
Porto kicked off their latest UEFA Champions League Campaign in style by defeating Shakhtar Donestsk (3-1) before suffering a defeat to Benfica on Friday. Porto have a solid home record in the UCL which could see them aim for more success as they are are unbeaten in their last three home games, keeping a clean sheet in two of the three games.
Barcelona on the other hand are unbeaten in 2023/2024 (7W, 2D) which includes a 5-0 thrashing over Royal Antwerp I’m their first UCL game. Barcelona have scored 24 goals in their last eight games.
Here is what Xavi had to say ahead of the game;
Xavi on the team’s strength: we have strengthened ourselves a lot and we are excited about this competition. There are things we can change compared to last year.
Xavi on the team’s experience: We have more experience and there are players who have already won the title.
Xavi on winning the group: We don’t think about wining the group right now. The most important thing is getting all three points against a difficult side with a lot of history.
Xavi continues: It will be a difficult game but we have started well in the competition.
Xavi on Fermin Lopez: He is currently training with the first team. I like him a lot, everyone who came to Porto is ready to play.
Xavi on the team’s last UCL outing: Last year we weren’t good in this competition. This year we need to be better and make sure to get past this group stage.
Xavi on the injured players: The injured players (Frenkie and Pedri) should not be an excuse for us.
Xavi on Yamal: Lamine plays at a brutal level. He is still very young and must be properly taken care of.
Xavi on Lewandowski: He is a very committed footballer and it is true that last year we did not know how to compete well in the UCL.
Xavi on Felix: Felix is supportive and generous. He is a very good team player and that is why things are working well for him.
Xavi continues; we have talked about many aspects of Porto’s game. They are physically strong, god at winning duels and also good at set pieces. We will try to compete in the best way.
Here is what Felix had to say ahead of the game;
Felix on Barcelona: Barca is a great club to which I have adapted well but the hardest thing is that everything continues so well.
Felix on playing against defensive sides: playing against a back five is complicated, it is difficult to create opportunities to score.
Felix on his adaptation: The difference with Atletico is big. They play different but everyone plays the way they want. But is is true I adapt better to Barca’s game.
Felix on scoring against Porto: My dream is to score in every game. Maybe it is special because we are playing against a Portuguese team, but for me it is just another game that we have to win.
Felix on Frenkie: De Jong is the one who surprised me the most. I already knew him but yup close, it’s very different, the way he understands the game and how he plays is wonderful.
End of Xavi and João Felix press conference.