True we have never won here which shows the difficulty of this week's game, claims Xavi Hernandez
Ahead of Barcelona’s clash against Bayern Munich, Xavi Hernandez believes that despite the La Liga side’s struggles in Germany, he admitted that his squad are in good form and excited for the game. The Camp Nou side have failed to win any of their six games at the Allianz Arena, going back to 1995.
Despite the fact that Barcelona’s recent games against Bayern Munich have been incredibly one-sided, it has many fans hoping that the Camp Nou side can turn the tide this time around. The La Liga giants face the Bavarians in the group stages of the Champions League yet again but the club go into the game in good form and with a far improved team. However, the history of the clash still weighs on the Catalan side as they have never won in six visits to the Allianz Arena.
That includes last season’s 3-0 defeat but the record goes all the way back to the 1995/96 season, with a 2-2 draw. Yet despite that, the presence of new stars alongside the fact that Xavi Hernandez has turned the team around, has many fans hopeful. Not just the fans though as Xavi admitted that while he knows recent results haven’t been in Barcelona’s favour, he believes that they are “in good form” for the game. He also added that the fact that his side have never won at home to Bayern shows just how tough the game is.
"I wouldn't say it's a house of horror, it's Bayern Munich. I've experienced both sides of the coin, beating them and losing to them. I know [recent results have not been favourable], but football is cyclical. It's true we have never won here, which shows the difficulty of this week's game. But we are in good form and we are excited for Tuesday,” Xavi said, reported ESPN.
Furthermore, despite the club reportedly being in financial disarray, the La Liga giants still brought in eight new faces this summer including Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Kounde and a few others. It has worked wonders for the club as they’ve started the season well, with 13 points from their opening five league games. It saw Xavi admit that things are different for the team because they “have improved in many aspects” and thus they “feel capable of competing.”
"Everything is different. We have improved in many aspects and we feel capable of competing. There have been so many changes but above all I would say the mentality. After that defeat, I told the players that this was Barca, that we have to run, work hard, and show personality.Â
“It was not the image of Barca that we wanted. The mentality has now changed. We have more personality now. The signings have also had an affect and wins breed confidence,” he added.