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MADRID — FC Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez admitted that the man who will be in the Paris Saint-Germain dugout in the return leg of their Champions League quarterfinal had a huge influence on his career.
Xavi spent time with Luis Enrique as a player at Barcelona and played under him during his three years as coach at the Camp Nou. When asked about the influence he had on his career, as Enrique now returns to Barcelona as PSG coach, he said "Maybe with Pep Guardiola and Luis Aragones, they are the coaches who have had the greatest impact on me, and now I think as a coach, I remember more things and I think about them."
"They have left a mark on me," said Xavi in his press game press conference, as quoted by Xinhua.
Barca produced one of their best displays of the season to win the first leg 3-2 in Paris, and Xavi admitted that Tuesday was a "very big opportunity as a club."
"We are playing at home and we have that factor in our favor," he said, asking for the fans in Barca's temporary home in the former Olympic Stadium to get behind the team.
"Montjuic has to be like the magical nights of Camp Nou. Tomorrow, it needs to be a pressure cooker; we will have some difficult moments and [PSG] will make us suffer. Everyone, team and fans, has to be united," said the Barca coach, who said he expected PSG to "press us and look to go forward."
"We will have to find the spaces and show personality to progress to the semifinals. We are talking about one of the best teams and coaches in the world," he insisted.