Xavi Hernandez considers that Barcelona is still favorite in their Champions League quarterfinal against Paris Saint-Germain in spite of numerous key injuries in defence and the probability that Lionel Messi could also skip the second-leg.
The first leg concluded with 2-2 in Paris last Tuesday due to the last minute strike of Blaise Matuidi for the hosts. However the injuries suffered by Messi and Javier Mascherano offered a serious blow to Barca.
Messi who is four-time world player of the year still has a possibility of returning in Wednesday's clash at the Camp Nou but Mascherano's knee injury will keep him away from the match.
Xavi expects that two away goals and home advantage should be sufficient to push Barca into their sixth consecutive Champions League semifinal. He explained in an interview that they have 90 minutes left at home and they will play in front of their fans, who showed the apex level of devotion in the game against Milan. He added that the shame has been the injuries--Mascherano's as much as Leo's. They are going to see how Leo is. Mascherano will probably miss four to six weeks and they are important absences. But they have a good result. They are favorites who are playing at home and there are 90 minutes to play.
The tie promised to be another extraordinary night at the Camp Nou after Barca produced a dramatic comeback to reverse a 2-0 first-leg deficit to defeat AC Milan 4-2 in total in the last round.
Xavi identified that match as a crucial moment in the Catalans' season as they aim a third Champions League success in five years. He thinks that it was a turning point because they had just lost in the semifinal of the Copa del Rey against Real Madrid which was a actual blow for them. But the team recuperated well. It returned to being intense and they returned to see–may be the best version of Barca in attack. The elevated pressure that they had missed in the previous matches also came back. They have pulled their socks up and managed to return against a great team like Milan.
The loss of Mascherano only complicated an already tricky situation for Barca along with injured captain Carles Puyol and Adriano. In contrast, Eric Abidal has just arrived from 14 months rest after undergoing a liver transplant.
Marc Bartra commenced Saturday's 5-0 victory over Mallorca along with Gerard Pique and is expected to keep his place opposite the French league leaders, although shifting Alex Song back into central defence remains an alternative for manager Tito Vilanova.
Cesc Fabregas is expected to start even Messi is not fit after scoring the first hat-trick of his career at the weekend. Pedro will arrive after skipping the last three games through injury. Meanwhile PSG have defensive issues as they appear to match their best ever run in Europe's premier club competition, when they defeat Barca to arrive at the semifinals in 1995.
Captain Thiago Silva skipped Saturday's 2-0 victory over Rennes due to a knee injury but will travel with the team along with Thiago Motta who hasn't participated since the second-leg of the last-16 tie versus Valencia due to an abductor trouble.
Matuidi has been suspended. Hence Marco Veratti, who was amazingly dropped in favour of David Beckham for the first-leg, is expected to reclaim his place in midfield.
