Xavi Urges Barcelona To Keep Winning Run Going Against Espanyol
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez wants his side to continue their recent good form when they come up against city rivals Espanyol in La Liga on Sunday.
A 4-2 victory over Atletico Madrid last week saw Barcelona win two times in a row in La Liga for only the second time this season.
That victory has taken them into fourth position going into this weekend’s fixtures.
A successful January transfer window which saw Barcelona bring in the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ferran Torres and Adama Traore seems to have reinvigorated the side.
Barcelona have not tasted defeat in any of their last 23 top flight matches against Espanyol and a 1-0 victory back in November against Sunday’s opponents gave Xavi a winning start as manager at the Camp Nou.
"Sunday's match is another final for us," Xavi said at a pre-match news conference. "It's a litmus test and it will be a very difficult game, very intense. They will want revenge.
"We're not ruling out any targets. Being 15 points behind the leaders, with a match in hand, shows how difficult it can be. It is difficult but we do not rule anything out.
"The next few games will tell. We need several wins in a row and have to be consistent, while hoping those in front of us falter. We're fourth and we want to climb further."
"Things have changed since the last meeting," he added. "Tomorrow we face a tough and intense rival. This is one of the best Espanyol sides in recent years.
"It will be a similar game to the one at Camp Nou, but we've changed since then. We didn't have time to prepare for that game, but now we have.
"We've got to consolidate the very good things we did against Atletico. We're training well but everything depends on the results. We are on the right track."
