Xavi talks Dembele, Araujo, Dest, Adama, and Barcelona’s ‘luck’ in the Europa League

The matches continue to come hard and fast for Barcelona who will lock horns with Eintracht Frankfurt at the Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany for the Europa League quarter-finals.

Barça are coming on the back of a narrow win over Sevilla that has helped them leapfrog to second place in La Liga. However, they must stay consistent as everything can change in the business end of the season.

Ahead of the European clash, Xavi addressed the media as part of his pre-game press conference. Barça Universal follows the quotes here.

On the game: “It is always good to come to Germany, we will try to control possession and repeat what we have been doing in the last few months.”

On Dest’s injury: “It is unfortunate that Dani Alves is not in the tournament due to circumstances.”

“Dest’s replacement could be Araujo, Mingueza, or even Eric.”

On Araujo’s renewal: “For us as technical staff and as a coach, it is a guarantee that he is a player who can play in Barcelona for ten years. He’s good with the ball and that’s what we are asking for. He is happy to be at Barcelona. He is a humble player and it’s fun to have players like him.”

On Dembele’s renewal: “I have several times, the club works on the present and the future. Ousmane is an important player for us, and I hope he stays.”

On ‘being lucky’ in the Europa draw: “We will face a very difficult opponent. I will repeat, we have not been lucky in the draw. We will face a special side.”

“Frankfurt have a lot of good players in the attack, the midfield with the double pivot, the centre-backs, a good goalkeeper. Maybe they are not well known in Spain but they are top-level footballers.”

“They are a great team. They have eliminated Betis, and have caused trouble to Bayern and Dortmund.”

On Dembele training on a holiday: “Since I have arrived, Dembele has been an example in training. The way he plays and his commitment. I see him very happy and I do not find it surprising that he comes on a holiday.”

“I hope he stays with us and I think he’s having a good time here. He’s a player who can make the difference, he can become one of the best in the world in his position and I’m not afraid to repeat that.”

On how the club is dealing with renewals: “The renewal of Araujo has not been completed yet. There is also a process of renewing Gavi and Roberto. These are negotiations. I hope Ousmane stays, I see him enjoying.”

On his ambitions: “I’m not here for personal glory, I’m here to help the players win.”

“Barcelona is a rollercoaster, there are moments of maximum joy and sorry and it becomes difficult to manage. You have to be prepared for anything.”

On Adama Traore: “Adama will be an important player, there is a match every three days, we have to rotate.”

Source: BarçaTV+