Barcelona boss Xavi is wary of the dangers that a “very aggressive” Villarreal side may pose as they prepare to meet in La Liga on Saturday.
Barca come into the match on a three-match winning streak in the league but sit eight points behind league leaders Girona, who have played one game more.
At the opposite end of the table, Villarreal are lingering just five points above the drop zone and are without a win in their last three in the league.
Xavi understands Saturday’s opponents are going through a tough spell but is still alert to their threat.
Quoted on Barcelona’s official website, he said: “Villarreal are going through a bad patch.
“But Marcelino’s teams are always very aggressive and well-organised, and work hard on defence. They still have a lot of standout players who can make all the difference.
“We still have every chance of catching up in the league and these next two games at home are a key part of that. And the team is very united, we have a very strong-minded squad. I have never seen a squad with so much human quality in my whole career.”
Barcelona are currently suffering with several injury issues which have depleted their squad slightly, which have seen the likes of youngsters Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and Hector Fort get regular game time.
Those on the injury list include Gavi, Marcos Alonso, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Inigo Martinez, Raphinha and Alejandro Balde.
Xavi has praised his young players for stepping up to the mark in recent games.
He added: “At their ages they shouldn’t be shouldered with these responsibilities, but given our current situation it’s what we have to do.
“They are ready to play and a lot of credit has to go to Lamine, Cubarsi and Fort. They are the present and future of the club and that’s very good news for Barca.”
Barcelona narrowly came out on top in a seven-goal thriller the last time the two sides met, Robert Lewandowski’s goal clinching a 4-3 win for the Catalan side.
Villarreal boss Marcelinho is expecting the best of Barcelona and thinks his team are becoming more competitive.
He said: “They’re a team that has only lost two games. It’s true that they are conceding more than last year and that is taking points away from them and, although they are not at their very best, I’m expecting a good Barca side.
“The most important thing in football is consistency. We’re more competitive now but at specific moments we’re being punished too much by our opponents’ finishing, which we often lack.
“We’re not always showing that level on a regular basis and our job is to identify why and work on it.”
Hurtig the hero after late goal sends Arsenal into Champions League quarters
Lina Hurtig's 89th minute winner ensured Arsenal progressed to the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League after edging Juventus 1-0 on Thursday.
After being frustrated for large parts of the encounter, Hurtig bundled home from close range after Martina Lenzini's poor clearance to book the Gunners' place in the last eight.
Despite Arsenal dominating the early exchanges, it was Juventus who had the first sight of goal, though Eva Schatzer's effort was easy for Daphne van Domselaar to gather.
In a first half that saw just two shots on target, both coming from the visitors, Renee Slegers' substitutes proved to be the difference for Arsenal.
Slegers introduced Beth Mead, Stina Blackstenius and Hurtig late on, with the latter somehow putting Kim Little's cross over the bar from five yards out.
However, the Swede would atone for her earlier error, combining with fellow substitute Blackstenius to net against her former club and send them out of the competition with two group games remaining.
Meanwhile, in Group D, Barcelona edged closer to the quarter-finals of the competition with a convincing 4-1 victory over St. Polten at the Generali Arena.
The reigning champions are still three points behind Manchester City following their 2-1 win over Hammarby, and know a win against the Swedes next month will see them progress.
Kika Nazareth opened the scoring in the 20th minute after capitalising on a mistake by Kamila Dubcova, notching her second nine minutes later from close range.
Barca found themselves three goals up at the break when Vicky Lopez netted her first goal in the competition to put the result beyond doubt.
There was also a landmark moment for Alexia Putellas, who netted her 200th goal for the club with a well-taken effort into the far corner.
Valentina Madl took some of the shine off an otherwise impressive display from the visitors, who have now taken their tally to 20 goals from their four matches in the competition.
Guardiola agrees two-year contract extension with Man City
Pep Guardiola will be Manchester City manager for at least two more seasons after 2024-25, after he signed a two-year contract extension on Thursday.
The 53-year-old was coming to the end of his City deal, which was due to expire at the end of the current campaign, but he has opted to remain at the Etihad Stadium.
The deal itself will take Guardiola's tenure at the club to over a decade, making him City's longest-serving manager since Les McDowall in 1963.
There had been suggestions that he may leave at the end of the season following the announcement that director of football Txiki Begiristain was on his way out.
Guardiola was strongly linked with the England job after Gareth Southgate resigned in the wake of their Euro 2024 final defeat, but the Football Association appointed Thomas Tuchel last month.
“Manchester City means so much to me," Guardiola said. “This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club.
“That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.
“Thank you to everyone for continuing to trust and support me – The Owner, The Chairman Khaldoon, Ferran, Txiki, the players and, of course, the fans… everyone connected to Manchester City. It has always been an honour, a pleasure and a privilege to be here.
“I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much.
“Hopefully, now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”
Having been appointed in 2016, Guardiola is by some distance Manchester City's most successful manager of all time, having won 18 major trophies during his time at the club.
That list includes their first-ever Champions League triumph in 2023 and six Premier League titles, including an unprecedented four on the spin.
He also boasts a 72.04% win percentage across all competitions, which is unsurprisingly the highest of any full-time City manager in history.
Shaw at the double as Man City progress in Champions League
Khadija Shaw scored twice as Manchester City beat Hammarby 2-1 to seal their place in the Women's Champions League quarter-finals.
Gareth Taylor's team entered Thursday's game with a perfect record in Group D, and their fourth win in as many European matches ensured they finished in the top two.
Shaw—the leading scorer in the Women's Super League this season with eight goals—put them ahead in the 31st minute, driving into the area after taking in Yui Hasegawa's pass before seeing her shot deflect into the top corner.
Shaw was booked for celebrating in front of the home fans despite appearing to have objects thrown at her from the stands, and Hammarby should have levelled when Julia Blakstad fired wide 10 minutes later.
The hosts did draw level three minutes into the second half as Ellen Wangerheim tapped home while City's Laura Blindkilde Brown was down appealing for a free-kick.
That parity was short-lived, though, as Shaw blasted into the top corner from 25 yards out, taking her overall tally for this season to 12 goals in all competitions.
In Group C, meanwhile, Bayern Munich lost their perfect record as they played out a 1-1 draw with Valerenga, boosting Arsenal's hopes of topping the pile.
Jovana Damnjanovic came off the bench to put Bayern ahead 15 minutes from time in Norway, but Elise Thorsnes headed home following an 88th-minute corner to snatch a point for the hosts.
Arsenal could now move within a point of Bayern when they face Juventus in Group C's other match later on Thursday.
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