Xavi considers Camp Nou’s chances to host 2030 World Cup final
The Barcelona coach, in the run-up to the duel against Granada: “Paco López is an offensive coach and it is always difficult to beat his teams.”
Sunday’s league trip to Granada was the focus of Xavi’s press conference but the Barcelona coach also spoke about Spain’s inclusion as one of the six host nations for the 2030. Both Camp Nou and the Santiago Bernabéu are currently being remodelled and both stadiums are expected to be candidates to stage the final.
Granada: “It’s an important game for us, but we’re fine. The mood’s good after two victories. Granada are the most physical side in LaLiga. Paco López is an offensive coach, who knows how Barça plays, it is always difficult to beat his teams. We’re expecting an intense rival, a team that pushes and we are going to struggle.”
Fermin. “He’s a player that I like. He can use both feet, he creates chances. He wins a lot of tackles duels in defense, he is aggressive, intense. I like him and I think he will play a lot if he continues at this level.”
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It is a delicate moment in the season for Barcelona?
For the injuries, yes, but it’s not a crisis. The squad is quite small. We’ll see if we can recover players as a soon as possible and they can all be at 100 percent. Every game in the calendar is important.
Could Pedri be the first to reappear?
He’s the closest to coming back. He’s got a few days to go and it will depend on how he feels. We’ll see how they all are.
What options do you have to replace Lewandowski?
It’s a huge loss for us; we have alternatives in Ferran and Joāo, or maybe Fermín and we could call up Pau Víctor.
Are you happy the team hasn’t conceded a goal in the last two games?
We defend by having the ball. It’s good not to concede, but the idea is to maintain possession of the ball. Porto made us suffer because they are an extraordinary team when playing at home.
Christensen in midfield?
It’s not the first option, we’re not ruling it out but there are other options - Casadó, Sergi Roberto, Gündogan… We tried with Eric and Andreas has played with his national team, but it’s not a priority for us.
Barcelona is the only undefeated team in LaLiga, how do you feel about that?
It’s positive, but we drew two games that we should have won. We have to be demanding.
What have you liked most about the season so far?
The attitude, the generosity and the desire, but sometimes we have lacked being able to slow games down.
How important is it to recover leadership in the table?
If we win tomorrow, it will bring tranquility whether we are leaders no. We’d like to be top of the table, but it’s not absolutely vital at this stage.
Barcelona is more demanding that the rest of the teams in LaLiga?
It is, no doubt about it, whoever says it isn’t has never been here on the inside. They demand perfection from you.
Should Barcelona be the host city for the 2030 World Cup final?
The format is unusual and Barcelona will have the stadium with the largest capacity on the country. So why not stage the final here?