Xavi: 'Barca can win at Old Trafford'
"We can go to Old Trafford and win there," Xavi said after the first leg drew Man Utd 2-2 at Camp Nou on the evening of February 16. "It's true that Man Utd has a lot of pressing situations, but we played well against one of the best teams in Europe at the moment."
Xavi thinks Barca dominated in many phases, created high pressure and reacted well after being 1-2. However, he also admitted that Man Utd won a number of physical duels and caused many problems for Barca's defence. "Today's match was very even," added Barca coach. "We played against a great opponent. I'm proud of the team."
According to Xavi, Barca should have been awarded two penalties. He complained about two situations where Wan-Bissaka entered the ball against Jordi Alba and Fred touching the ball inside the box but was not penalized.
"For me, it was obviously a penalty," Xavi said of Fred touching the ball. "They didn't give us a penalty in Milan last year and neither did they."
On the Camp Nou field yesterday, Pedri was injured, leaving the field from the 41st minute, but Xavi was not worried. He believes Barca has many replacement players like Frenkie De Jong, Sergi Robero or Pablo Tore. The Catalan coach also expects the return of captain midfielder Sergio Busquets in the second leg.
Xavi also downplayed Raphinha's anger when he was substituted after 83 minutes. He considered it the usual reaction of a player eager to play. "Raphinha apologized, but he's not. I like that attitude," Xavi said. "It's good when a player is angry, but I have to substitute for the sake of the team. I have experienced this feeling as a player. I just told Raphina to stay calm and I understand him."
In the first leg, Barca led 1-0 from the 50th minute thanks to Marcos Alonso's header. However, Man Utd played better and came upstream soon after. Marcus Rashford equalized 1-1 with a shot into the near corner after 52 minutes. In the 59th minute, Man Utd led 2-1 thanks to an own goal from Jules Kounde. After the second goal, Barca regained the game. They equalized 2-2 from Raphinha's long shot in the 76th minute.
The second leg will take place on February 23 at Old Trafford, home of Man Utd. In the quarter-finals of the Champions League 2018-2019, Barca won here with a score of 1-0. However, Man Utd also won Barca 1-0 at home in the semi-final second leg of the Champions League 2007-2008.
Because the rule on the opponent's field is no longer valid in European Cups, Man Utd will not enjoy the advantage of two goals at the Camp Nou. If there is a draw within 90 minutes of the second leg, the two teams will have to play extra time.
