JAKARTA - Barcelona will have a friendly match against Boca Juniors in the Maradona Cup, Tuesday, December 14 evening WIB. Xavi Hernandes said his team's journey to the match was not easy, but they still came with great enthusiasm.
"This trip (to Riydh) didn't go well for us, but we are here now and have great enthusiasm for it," Xavi said.
The Maradona Cup which brought together Barcelona and Boca Juniors was held at the King Saud University Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This match was held as a tribute to the legend of the two clubs that Diego Maradona played for.
Xavi: "We are working hard" pic.twitter.com/TQswALtuRI
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 14, 2021
About the journey that was not easy, said Xavi, it was related to the bad results experienced by Barcelona both in La Liga and in the Champions League. Before coming to the match, Barcelona had just been held to a draw by Osasuna in the 17th week of La Liga.
Previously, the Blaugrana also accepted the harsh reality of being eliminated from the Champions League. That's why they have to face Napoli in the Europa League playoffs.
Despite facing a bad journey before arriving in Riyadh, Xavi called Barcelona's inclusion in the friendly match as an honor that will later be used as a tribute to the legend, Maradona.
"It is an honor to be here representing Barcelona and to do so as a tribute to one of the best footballers in history," Xavi continued.
In the match later, Xavi is still trying to aim for victory over Boca Juniors. However, he did not rule out the possibility to rotate and at the same time provide playing opportunities to his players who rarely appear.
"Now we have to change our mindset, return the excitement and get good results. We have to overcome (our problems) and think to give a good image tomorrow (today, red) and end the year with a good result," explained Xavi.
"Later game is a good moment for the players who did not participate with Barcelona B and the first team. This is a good test to see footballers who have not played as much as Dani Alves," he said.
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