Barcelona head coach Xavi has insisted that his team’s previous three El Clasico victories over Real Madrid this season are irrelevant when looking towards Wednesday night’s Cop del Rey semifinal clash with Real Madrid. In fact, Xavi referred to Real Madrid as the favorites despite Barcelona’s 1-0 aggregate lead following their first-leg victory at Camp Nou.
“We don’t have Madrid’s measure at all,” Xavi said during a press conference on Tuesday. “They can easily come here and win. They can beat any team — how long is it since they lost a two-legged tie?”
Xavi added that Real Madrid has more experience when it comes to games of this stature. He added that they are capable of making big comebacks, as they proved during their Champions League triumph last season.
While Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 3-1 in La Liga back in October, Barcelona has won all three of the clashes between the two Spanish giants in 2023. The Catalonians won the Spanish Super Cup final 3-1, 2-1 in the second La Liga fixture between the two sides, and 1-0 in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal.
