FCBARCELONA.CAT

17.12.2007 16:30

Xavi: “We’re only thinking of winning”

Berta Brau

The Barça midfielder answered reporters’ question about the Real Madrid clash at a promotional event he attended on Monday morning.

Speaking at a promotional event for take-away pizza company Telepizza, Xavi Hernández focussed on next weekend’s match against Real Madrid: “Looking at the table, Real Madrid is better, but in these matches you never know. A lot of emotions and tensions are mixed up together and you never know how it will end. But we hope that it goes our way”.

Focussed on winning

Xavi stressed that despite Real Madrid’s good recent form, the Barça players are determined to win: “We’re only thinking of winning in order to cut the gap. We don’t want to consider any other possibility”.

Messi injury blow

Regarding the injury that Messi picked up at the weekend, Xavi told reporters: “It’s a shame he can’t take part in the Real Madrid match. He’s in great form and it was really important for him”.

Madrid manager Bernd Shuster is reported to have said that he would have liked to see Messi play. According to Xavi: “I believe it. He’s a lover of good football and all of us that like football always want to see the rival team at full strength”.

The right approach

Xavi also spoke about the build up to the big game: “It’s a match that generates a lot of tension and emotion and so it’ll be really important to keep a cool head and control the emotions. The team that manages to control the ball and dominate the game will have gained a lot. It’s important to play at home with the fans on your side”.

The return of Eto'o

While Xavi denied that Eto'o had changed the dynamic of the group, he admitted that the striker had a great game against Valencia and that his attacking skills had brought a lot to Barça’s game.

Finally, Xavi answered questions about Ronaldinho: “He’s still the best player in the world though nobody expected to see the Brazilian on the subs bench. That depends on the boss and of the performance of the player himself”.