Xavi Hernandez is expecting a ‘footballing war’ against Napoli on Thursday night.
Barca are in Naples ahead of their mouth-watering knockout second leg tie with Napoli.
The two sides are locked level at 1-1 as things stand, and with no away goals, it’s a difficult one to call heading into the second leg.
Barca need to win in a difficult away ground, in front of the ever-passionate Napoli home support.
But it will be just as difficult in footballing terms, with Napoli showing their defensive capabilities during the first leg.
The Serie A giants are likely to attack more in the second leg, and their counter-attack goal showed what they can also offer going forward.
According to Xavi, the game will come down to whoever dominates the ball at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, and it might just be a ‘war’ between the two European giants.
“It’s a Champions League-level rival,” he said in his pre-match press conference.
“It will cost us to to dominate the ball. It will be a footballing war and whoever has the ball will win.
“They will restrict a lot and the atmosphere in the stadium will be intense.
“There is no other way to continue growing in our model.
“We should insist now more than ever. We are excited.”
