• Champions League

Xavi warns Chelsea of Barca 'anger'

ESPN staff
April 23, 2012
Barcelona have suffered two disappointing defeats in a week, against Chelsea and Real Madrid © Getty Images
Enlarge

Barcelona midfielder Xavi has issued a rallying cry ahead of the crunch Chelsea clash on Tuesday, saying half of the club's season is on the line.

Barcelona will be aiming to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit when they take on Roberto Di Matteo's side at Camp Nou in Champions League semi-final action.

Pep Guardiola's men will enter that fixture with a weekend defeat to Real Madrid, which effectively killed their title chances, still fresh in the minds - and Xavi has told Chelsea to expect a backlash.

"We are lucky because on Tuesday we're playing for a place in the Champions League final," he said. "I wish we could play on Monday. We have this internal anger sportsmen have, after losing against Madrid at home.

"We want to win on Tuesday, overturn the deficit against Chelsea, and show we deserve to be in the final.

"It would be a historic achievement to get to another Champions League final and win it and also win the Spanish Cup too. It would be a great season if we win those two finals.

"Our fans are intelligent and they know that on Tuesday we're playing half our season, so we want them behind us."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices