Barcelona are gearing up for their highly-anticipated showdown with Real Madrid as the Catalan giants aim to put their UEFA Champions League woes behind them. Nonetheless, the spotlight remains on head coach Xavi Hernandez ahead of what could potentially be a crucial fixture in his Camp Nou reign.
The Blaugrana head into this clash on the back of their recent disappointment in Europe, drawing 3-3 at home to Inter Milan. That result leaves Lewandowski and Co. staring at yet another group-stage elimination and the embarrassment of dropping down into the UEFA Europa League.
As a result, criticism has been directed at Xavi over his continental struggles. However, domestically, Barcelona have been nothing short of impeccable, winning all but one of their opening eight games in the season.
And for this reason, when speaking about the Spanish tactician, club president Joan Laporta reiterated the club's trust in the former midfielder. The Camp Nou commander-in-chief gave an interview to Marca ahead of Sunday's highly-anticipated showdown and continued to show his support for the current Barcelona boss while pleading with the fans to continue supporting the team regardless of their UEFA Champions League struggles.
"I would tell the fans to keep believing. We have a very good team that has to give us joy. They [the fans] have to support Xavi, and we will give that support to him," Laporta told Marca.
"Xavi has shown that he is a man who knows the club and the system perfectly, apart from being an excellent person. Things will get better, and he will give us many successes.
"We always talk. After the game I have a habit of talking to him. [After Wednesday's game] I saw him sad and hurt.
"Xavi has a virtue that no one I've met has -- he always sees the positive side. It's something I've always liked.
"I told him to move forward, not to think about the Champions League and focus on LaLiga."
Despite this, Laporta was honest with his UEFA Champions League expectations, admitting that he has been left disappointed by Barcelona's campaign so far. However, given that the club are not yet out of the competition, the club president did not go too far with his assessment.
"I didn't expect to be like this at this point," Laporta added. "The technical staff and the coach have done everything to be competitive.
"The main aim is LaLiga as the group stage has become very complicated, but I prefer to speak when it is over."
The 3-3 draw with Inter Milan leaves the Catalan giants third in their group with a three-point disadvantage over the second-placed Nerazzurri. Due to the head-to-head results, Barcelona will be eliminated from the UEFA Champions League if the Italians beat Viktoria Plzeň on Matchday 5 irrespective of the Spanish giants' result against Bayern Munich.
In La Liga, however, the Blaugrana sit top of the table thanks to their superior goal difference over Real Madrid. So far, Xavi's men boast the best attack in the league, scoring 20 times, and the best defense as well, conceding only one goal all season. Victory in El Clasico will take them three points clear of Real Madrid, but with the injuries to Kounde, Araujo, and Christensen, the visitors could be in for a rough ride at the Bernabeu.
