Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez believed that Paris Saint-Germain will reach the next round of Champions League when they host La Liga giants Real Madrid on March 7 in Paris.
PSG lost the first leg 3-1 to Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu. However, in the second leg of their last 16 tie, former Neymar team-mate Xavi was optimistic that Ligue 1 giants will have the full capacity to reverse the situation.
“At Bernabeu, PSG played like Barca. We feel that they wanted to put the way. When Emery goes out Cavani and Meunier, PSG really controls the game. But it’s useless to do it against Real if you don’t materialise your chances.” Xavi said.
“Real was lucky to go. But this chance, they provoked it, so I tell myself that if PSG plays back with character, they can do it.
“Going up two goals is not insurmountable, and then a lot can happen in 90 minutes. In my opinion, PSG has the mentality to turn the situations.” Xavi added.
Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in the comeback win, having originally been a goal down, but his recent uptick in form has not impressed Xavi.
“They said that Cristiano was still better than Neymar,” Xavi said. “No, no, it’s unfair. What did Ronaldo do in the game, scored a penalty and a knee goal.
“But what about the dangerous situations created by Neymar? And the counter-attacks that he launched, the fear that he sowed in Madrid?
“Madrid has something. Against them, you can never lose your chance, otherwise they will punish you, but the worst thing is that they hurt the opponent with nothing.
“You almost think it’s an injustice that PSG lost by such a big margin because it was a game that should have ended 1-1, 2-2, or 2-1 for PSG.” Xavi added.
Xavi is now playing in Qatar for Al Sadd. (Source:www.panditfootball.com)
Xavi, now playing in Qatar for Al Sadd, he played for Barcelona since 1998-2015. He won eight La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues with Barcelona. At Camp Nou, Xavi played alongside Neymar for two years (2013/15)
Last year, the 38-year-old midfielder confirmed that he would retire at the end of 2017/18 season, and would later pursue a coaching career.
