Xavi believes Barcelona are still in LaLiga title race ahead of Mallorca clash
The Catalan club sit eight points off league leaders Real Madrid going into the final 11 matches of the campaign.
Xavi believes Barcelona are still in the race for the LaLiga title ahead of their clash with Mallorca on Friday.
The Catalan club sit eight points off league leaders Real Madrid going into the final 11 matches of the campaign.
Boss Xavi admitted his side have not given up on retaining their title.
“I don’t think LaLiga is lost,” Xavi told reporters.
“Tomorrow we have another opportunity to get closer to five points behind Real Madrid and be ahead of Girona. LaLiga is not lost, and we’re not throwing in the towel.”
Pedri will miss the home clash after picking up another injury.
Xavi admitted his squad needs to be rotated to avoid fatigue-related issues.
Barca’s packed schedule also contains a Champions League last 16 second-leg clash against Napoli after a 1-1 draw in the opener.
“We need to consider fatigue and the number of games the players are facing,” he added.
“Tomorrow, we will surely make some changes compared to the last match. We have to think about the players, not because Tuesday is the Champions League.
“We think about fatigue, about the accumulation of minutes, not because Tuesday is an important match, but to think about the players so that all players are available until the end of the season.”
Xavi complimented Friday’s opponents, saying they will come into the game with high morale after they booked their place in the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao.
He said: “(They are a solid) team that plays well together and is physically strong.
“They’re having a good season and I imagine we’ll be facing a team that will play defensively but whose morale is high. Javier Aguirre works very hard on getting the best out of his teams, I’m an admirer of his.”