FC Barcelona will be opening their 2023-24 UEFA Champions League campaign tomorrow with a match against Royal Antwerp. This will be an opportunity for Barcelona and Xavi to overturn the tragic fate that the Catalans have faced in this competition for the past few seasons.
The Champions League has been identified as one of the objectives for the club this season by several Barcelona players in recent months. It is clear that with the acquisitions made in the last summer transfer window, the club is clearly aiming to restore its pride in the premier European competition.
Champions League as the objective
As Mundo Deportivo has reported, Xavi Hernandez has already addressed the press prior to the match, in which several topics regarding the competition and the tie were brought up. Like his players, Xavi also expressed that one of the objectives for him this season was the Champions League:
“The objective is clear, it’s to advance from the group stage, then we’ll talk. We have to be in the round of 16 draw; that’s our main goal after two years without doing it. It’s the clear goal, to try to advance as group winners.”
Building on domestic success
Xavi went on to comment on how this season will be different in regards to the Champions League and how the team’s strength in Spain will drive it to perform in Europe as well:
“It’s exciting to be in this competition. Last year, we did well in domestic competitions but not in Europe. It’s the perfect stage; it’s the competition that will help us take that step forward. We start at home after showing our best version in terms of play, and we want to continue in that vein.”
Lastly, Xavi expressed hope that this group stage can be the turning point for Barcelona as they once again try to get rid of their past ghosts in the competition:
“I hope this marks a turning point and we show our best version. If we play at the level of Saturday in Europe, it will be enough to compete. At the level of the Supercopa against Madrid last year, as well. We need to maintain the level of play.”
FC Barcelona’s chances of advancing from the group stage are brighter this season not only because of the quality additions made to the squad but also because they would not be facing other top European teams this time in the first stage. Hopefully, Barcelona can go on to win the whole thing to announce their return to the biggest stage of European football with a bang.
