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- ‘We can win in Munich’ - Xavi confident despite a 0-0 draw with Benfica in UCL debut
‘We can win in Munich’ - Xavi confident despite a 0-0 draw with Benfica in UCL debut
New Barcelona boss Xavi remains positive after a goalless draw at the Camp Nou with Benfica in his Champions League debut on Tuesday night. He said: "Watching the team playing like they did tonight makes me optimistic. I think we can compete against anybody. Watching tonight's game I think we can go to Munich and win. We have the confidence. And we depend on ourselves."
Barcelona's hopes of advancing in the top European club competition took a hit. After failing to get the job done at home, Barcelona know they will likely need a win at unbeaten Bayern Munich to avoid their first group stage elimination in the Champions League in nearly two decades.
A win would have guaranteed Barcelona a spot in the knockout stages for the 18th straight season, but they couldn't capitalize on the chances.
About the draw against Benfica, he said: "They were looking for this. They were going for a 0-0 result. They wanted for us not to feel comfortable, to stop the game and waste time. We knew that. If you don't score then you feel like that. They feel more secure and we feel more anxious. It's about effectiveness, training, and gaining self-confidence. But we will reach the day when we score three or four goals. But we generated scoring opportunities and that is what counts. It's a matter of time I imagine."
The draw kept the Catalan club in second place in Group E, two points ahead of Benfica, but the Portuguese side have the tiebreaker advantage if they beat already eliminated Dynamo Kyiv at home and Barcelona fail to defeat the group winners Bayern in Germany in the final round.
Bayern won 2-1 at Dynamo in the other group match on Tuesday to record their fifth straight victory in the competition.
Benfica haven't made it past the group stage since 2016-17.