MY ACCOUNT
Xavi will not be on a revenge mission when Barcelona face Inter in a “very important” Champions League showdown at San Siro on Tuesday.
Head coach Xavi was in the Barca side knocked out of the Champions League by Inter at the semi-final stage in 2010.
The Blaugrana were beaten 3-1 in the first leg in Milan and failed to overturn that deficit, crashing out after winning 1-0 at Camp Nou against Jose Mourinho’s men, who went on to lift the trophy.
Xavi returns to San Siro with the two sides both having picked up three points from their opening two Group C games, with Barca beaten 2-0 at leaders Bayern Munich last month.
And the former Spain midfielder is motivated by the prospect of qualifying for the last 16 rather than having a score to settle.
He said: “I have no feeling of [wanting] revenge. I come here as a coach this time. I remember that we had to travel by bus [to Milan] because of the volcano, but they were a great team.
“It was difficult for us in the first leg. We lost it here. It was a controversial tie, but this is how it is. It’s a bitter memory for us, unfortunately.”
Inter boss Simone Inzaghi is under pressure with his side ninth in Serie A following back-to-back defeats to Udinese and Roma.
But Xavi is not reading anything into the Nerazzurri’s poor form, as he knows they have the quality to turn things around.
“It’s not significant,” he said. “It’s Inter, a very strong team. They have a different system to anything we’ve come across so far.
“They play with two strikers, something you don’t see too much in Spain. They’re a tough opponent, with good dynamics, but that has to be shown.”
Xavi added: “I have it quite clear. Despite the size of the rival, we are clear that we want to dominate. It is an important rival. It is the Champions League. It is not a definitive match, but it is very important for the future of the group.”
Inter have won just two of their 14 European matches against Barcelona, a 2-1 victory in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in January 1970 and that 3-1 Champions League triumph in April 2010.
However, Barca’s only two away wins against the Nerazzurri came 60 years apart, winning 4-2 in the Fairs Cup in September 1959 and 2-1 in the Champions League in December 2019.
