Xavi Hernandez, Barcelona's manager, stated on Monday that he is looking forward to the challenge of meeting Benfica in the Champions League, as the Barca club seeks to pay back a defeat to the Portuguese side in Lisbon earlier this season.
Despite a poor start to the season, which included 3-0 losses to Bayern Munich and Benfica, Barcelona will reach the last 16 of Europe's best club championship with a match in hand if they win on Tuesday.
"I see an opportunity, and there is no pressure on me. You'll always get a rematch in football. We're Barca and we'll go for it. I enjoy difficulties like this," Xavi said to reporters after leading Barca to a 1-0 LaLiga victory over Espanyol in his debut game in charge on Saturday.
"Talking is simple; we need to demonstrate it on the field." “We performed better against Espanyol. Barca isn't in a position to show off, but there are reasons to be optimistic. We'll qualify if we win. We need to be brave and give it our all."
Jorge Jesus, Benfica's manager, stated that his team was excited to play at Camp Nou. "Their stadium has a fantastic atmosphere for them, but it's also excellent for us... great players like to play in front of a beautiful stadium full of fans," Jesus stated.