Barça will try to ‘dominate’ Madrid in final – Xavi

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández wants to dominate Real Madrid in Sunday’s Spanish Supercopa final after his side beat Osasuna 2-0 in Thursday’s second semifinal in Saudi Arabia.

Second-half strikes from Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal extended Barça’s stay in Riyadh and set up a Clásico showdown after Madrid beat Atlético Madrid in the other semifinal Wednesday.

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A winless run before the New Year has seen Barça slip seven points behind joint LaLiga leaders Madrid and Girona, but Xavi is optimistic ahead of the weekend’s game at the King Saud University Stadium.

“Our methodology, our way of playing, the team we have and the way we compete against Madrid,” Xavi said in a news conference when asked for reasons to believe Barça can beat Real.

“The example to follow is last year’s final when we won 3-1. We were much better. And despite losing to Madrid in LaLiga this season, we also played well until the 60th minute. We feel we could have got more from the game.

“We have to take the ball from Madrid and our DNA must shine through more than ever. Madrid are in better form than last year, but we will try to dominate them and play toe-to-toe.

“It’s the ideal setting and moment for us to show our best football. We are up for it.”

Lewandowski opened the scoring in the 59th minute against Osasuna with his 11th goal of the season after collecting Ilkay Gündogan‘s pass.

Substitutes João Félix and Lamine Yamal combined late on to seal the win. In scoring, Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to ever score in the Supercopa at 16 years and 182 days old, earning praise from Xavi.

“With the ball, Lamine does nearly everything well,” the Barça boss added. “He doesn’t lose the ball and he makes the right decision nearly all the time.

“It is just a shame he is only 16. You notice it in the physical side of the game. It’s a shame he’s not a bit older … but he understands the game so well and is going to be important and mark differences.

“Apart from the goal, he was really good tonight. We’re in front of an extraordinary talent.”

The win signaled Barça’s first victory by more than one goal since Sept. 19, a run spanning 20 games in all competitions.

It was also the Blaugrana’s third win in a row at the start of 2024, following success against Las Palmas in LaLiga and Barbastro in the Copa del Rey, and midfielder Frenkie de Jong feels the side are turning a corner.

“We have to improve more but we are improving,” he said in a news conference. “We have won a few games in succession now and the second half was quite good against Osasuna.

“We now have a game against one of the top teams in the world, which are nice matches for any player. We go into it in good form, confidence and a desire to produce a performance that shows we are a very good side.”

There was also good news Thursday in the form of Pedri‘s return to action. The Spain midfielder came off the bench in the second half after missing the past three matches through injury.

“Pedri is a player with extraordinary talent, someone that marks differences,” De Jong added. “With the ball, he is so comfortable. Our play is more fluid when he’s on the pitch. You notice when he’s with us and we are very happy to have him back in the team.”

Xavi said Pedri is in shape to start against Madrid on Sunday if picked, although defender João Cancelo remains a doubt and Raphinha picked up a knock in the win over Osasuna. The Brazilian winger will undergo tests Friday.