Xavi believes it will be a "catastrophe" if Barcelona do not beat Girona on Saturday as they look to keep up their LaLiga title charge.
A run of seven wins in eight league matches has put Xavi's men top of the table, holding a three-point lead over rivals Real Madrid in second.
They continue their bid to win their first LaLiga title since the 2018-19 season on Saturday at home to Girona, who sit 11th and just four points above the relegation zone.
Xavi hopes his team can pick up another three points amid the pressure of a title race, telling reporters: "You have to beat Girona. This is Barca.
"This is the Barca environment, I know it very well. If we don't win tomorrow, it will be a catastrophe.
"Try to win it because it will be a difficult match. Michel [Girona head coach] has said that they have nothing to lose and we will come out with pressure because we want to win LaLiga."
Xavi is hoping Ousmane Dembele will extend his Barcelona contract amid rumours of a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Dembele scored Barca's winner as they beat Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals on Wednesday, continuing his excellent form this season after a tough 2021-22 campaign.
The France international has been involved in 15 goals with Barcelona in all competitions this season, already equalling his record of last term, but with his contract set to expire in 2024, there had been rumours of a move to PSG.
But Xavi wants Dembele to remain with the Spanish giants, telling reporters: "Ousmane is an important player, someone who makes a difference.
"It's difficult to find these kind of players. For me, he's a key player. Ousmane knows it, the club knows it.
"He has changed his mentality and I hope to have him here for many more years."
Barca overcame wastefulness in front of goal to overcome La Real and reach the Copa del Rey final four, with Dembele's goal enough to secure a narrow 1-0 win despite having 20 shots.
While Xavi is concerned about his side's profligacy in front of goal in tight matches, he believes his team are much improved from last season, saying: "I am worried about not finishing them [close games]. Many things have to be improved
"We have to value how we were last year and how we are now. There are things to improve, obviously, but I think we are in a very good moment of form and it should be valued."
Michael Skubala proud of Lincoln performance in win at Oxford
Lincoln boss Michael Skubala labelled as “unbelievable” his team’s crucial 1-0 win at Oxford.
The Imps kept their season alive with a resolute defensive performance and a victory thanks to Danny Mandroiu’s 47th-minute penalty after Ruben Rodrigues was adjudged to have fouled Ben House.
The win enabled Lincoln to leapfrog Blackpool into seventh place in League One, just two points behind Oxford with two games to go.
Skubala said: “We were unbelievable – we have a special group here. We played for the shirt, you could see that.
“I can’t really pick anyone out, we were collectively fantastic and I’m just so proud of them.
“We said to them before the start ‘let’s just keep it alive and then see what the pressure might do’ and we’ve done that.
“We knew we couldn’t come here and dominate the ball, Oxford have some very good players.
“But we thought we could catch them on the counter and hurt them and the players carried out the game plan to perfection.
“It was a great penalty from Danny Mandroiu. He was as cool as ice.
“The way we ran the clock down was perfect.”
Lincoln’s win came despite losing Reeco Hackett in only the fifth minute to a bad arm injury.
They also had substitute Dylan Duffy sent off for a second yellow card in the 83rd minute, when he fouled Marcus Browne, but the 10 men held out.
Oxford manager Des Buckingham was unhappy with the penalty award.
He said: “I’ve watched it back and it’s as clear as day…. Ruben Rodrigues won the ball.
“So, yes, I’ve got complaints about the penalty because it’s a key moment and in the end that’s what has decided the outcome of the game.
“I think we played well enough, especially in the first half, to feel we should have won the game – we created a couple of big opportunities.
“If we keep presenting opportunities like the ones to Tyler Goodrham and Mark Harris I’m sure they’ll take them.
“But we’d scored 13 goals in the last three games, maybe we had used up our share.
“We’re in a strong position with two games to go. So I’m not going to stand here and keep moaning about the penalty – we’ve just got to refocus for Stevenage at home on Friday night.
“I’m disappointed the performance here hasn’t given us the result because we definitely deserved to get something from this game.”
Portsmouth make long-awaited return to Championship after beating Barnsley
Conor Shaughnessy struck late on as Portsmouth secured the League One title and promotion to the Championship with a 3-2 win over Barnsley at Fratton Park.
Pompey knew one point would return them to the second tier following a 12-year absence, but they were up against it after Devante Cole and John McAtee scored for the play-off chasing Tykes either side of Kusini Yengi’s equaliser.
However, the hosts got the job done courtesy of Colby Bishop’s 83rd-minute penalty and Shaughnessy’s last-gasp effort.
Ange Postecoglou feels Harry Kane’s move to Bayern was not ‘just to win things’
Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane could be consigned to a trophyless season on Wednesday night, but Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has defended the striker’s move to Germany.
Postecoglou worked with Kane for several weeks last summer before the England captain decided to leave his boyhood club in a £100million move in pursuit of a “new challenge”.
While the 30-year-old has enjoyed an excellent individual campaign with 39 goals in all competitions, Bayern’s last hope of winning a trophy this term is the Champions League after Bayer Leverkusen clinched the Bundesliga title on Sunday.
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Arsenal visit the Allianz Arena on Wednesday with the Champions League quarter-final finely poised after a first-leg 2-2 draw, and Postecoglou feels it would be unfair for Kane’s switch to be deemed a failure if Bayern go out this week.
“I don’t think that’s fair,” the Australian said.
“I’m not going to speak for Harry, for God’s sake, but I don’t think that’s the only reason he left. I think he was pretty clear that he wanted a different experience and I think there’s nothing wrong with that.
“That’s been my whole career. He was at one club for a very long time. He was at a point where he either makes a decision to stay and become a one-club man, which is fair enough, or he can experience something different as a footballer, maybe as a person.
“I don’t know. These are questions for him. But I don’t get this notion that he just moved just to win things.
“I don’t think if he had stayed here, he didn’t think he was going to win things. I just think he wanted a different experience and he’s getting that.
“I’m sure at the end of his career, if that was his reasoning behind it, he’ll find that it does. It gives you a real broad experience about what football is about, what life is about.
“I know every decision I’ve made in my career, it’s very hard for other people sometimes to understand because they’re not living my life.
“They’re not with my family or with the people around me to know why you come to these decisions.
“They’re very rarely (made) around too many simplistic things. Most of the time there’s a whole range of factors that you put into it.”
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