FC Barcelona’s head coach Xavi Hernandez stated that Real Madrid did not beat Manchester City “by luck” in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final as El Clasico nears.
Madrid played a 120-minute-long match at Etihad and defeated City on penalties with Antonio Rudiger scoring the winning penalty. As Los Blancos played with a deep block, many thought they won due to luck on their side but Xavi disagreed.
The former midfielder stated that he only believes in hard work as he went on to acknowledge Madrid’s quality.
"When you have won so many times you play with more calm, less desperation, more confidence, they are a very good team," Xavi told a news conference Saturday.
"In the end, people say it's luck, I don't believe much in luck -- I think it's effort, defensive work, the solidarity they showed, everyone working so hard.
"The three up front worked harder than ever, Man City missed some clear chances but that's football, it's not luck that Madrid have knocked out the best team in the world twice in three years."
Despite being eight points behind the Whites, Xavi is confident that his side can still compete in La Liga. He added that tomorrow’s match is the most important game of the season.
"For us, it's the most important game of the season, we have to win to put pressure on the leader," he added. "We have enormous respect for Real Madrid, they've lost just one game out of 31, and their numbers are extraordinary.
"We don't have bad numbers in La Liga, we've got four points less than when we were leaders last season (at this stage)."
Remember, the last three El Clasicos ended up with Madrid emerging as winners. Their most recent encounter took place in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia where Vinicius Jr. scored a first-half hat-trick to steer his side to the title.
