‘No excuses’ – Xavi Hernandez gives speech to Barcelona squad ahead of Real Madrid clash

Barcelona are perhaps looking at a rather somber six games the other side of El Clasico if they cannot beat Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday night. Morale has deflated at Barcelona following their Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, and while it would keep a title race in the realms of possibility, reducing the gap to five points between the two, it would also prove a point.

It is perhaps Xavi Hernandez‘s last chance to do so, and Diario AS report that he gave a speech to his players before their Thursday morning training session. ‘Let’s go after Madrid – no excuses’ was the loud message he conveyed to his players in a chat that lasted around five minutes. Xavi is keen to pick his players up, fearing that the PSG defeat could be a disaster for his side mentally, and presented the Clasico to them as an opportunity.