"We have a goal, to enter the Champions League next year. We will do it in the top four in La Liga or by winning the Europa League."
It is clear Xavi on the eve of the first leg of his Barcelona match against Napoli at the Camp Nou.
A long and difficult path for the Catalans who are going through a difficult transition year.
"We would like to be - explains the coach - in the Champions League, it is exasperating not to be there but the Europa League is an opportunity for us, a competition that if you win will send you to the Champions League. We are motivated and this could be a Champions League match, because Napoli are at that level too, we weren't lucky.
They are a team fighting for the Scudetto and they have a return home.
He is a very complicated rival, one of the strongest in the competition.
I consider this shift to be very balanced.
Napoli are very compact, they have an experienced coach, they work well when they come out with the ball, but they also press well.
It will be a complicated challenge.
They have strong central defenders, full-backs who push, Zielinski is a great player, then Osimhen, Insigne.
It's a Champions team ".
For Xavi the double challenge also weighs heavily due to the infirmary problems of Barcelona starting with Eric Garcia instead of the injured Araujo: "Eric - he explains - is a high-level defender, he made a mistake that cost us a goal, but we have to find him and he has to gain confidence. It will be important in the next games, he is one who sees the free man, he looks for his teammates between the lines. Then Busquets could rest tomorrow or Sunday. We will make changes, rotations. "
Xavi also talks about the Napoli outs: "It would be an important loss - he says - that of Osimhen, but they have many variations. However, they have important absences, like Lozano who can make the difference, and Lobotka. Fabian Ruiz? important player, he has a good shot from outside, I like him a lot. "