Barcelona president Joan Laporta called on fans to maintain their confidence in the team ahead of the Clasico match against Real Madrid on Sunday, as Barcelona seeks to restore its balance after the Inter Milan match in the Champions League.
Barcelona’s hopes of crossing the Champions League group stage were dealt a painful blow after a 3-3 draw, but beating Real Madrid in a match awaited by the football world would be the best response.
Barcelona and Real Madrid enter the match and are equal in the number of points, and the Catalan giant leads the Spanish league standings by goal difference.
Laporta urged the team’s fans to maintain their confidence in Xavi and his players, and told the “Barcelona” TV channel: “Keep your confidence, we have a very competitive team, with very good players who will bring you a lot of joy.”
He added: “Stand behind Xavi, he needs your warmth and trust. This is what we will give him and we hope that the fans will do the same.”
And he added: “I have complete confidence in Xavi and his staff, and also in the players. We have a great team and I am sure it will bring a lot of joy. We have a team that will compete with any team in Europe.”
He stressed, “We will get through this. We will never stop working to achieve what we want. This club has gone through all the moments of victories and failures over the years, but we were able to come back. We can still do this, from every part of the club.”
Laporta explained the importance of Sunday’s match in the competition for the Spanish League title, and stressed: “We are at the top of the league and there is a big match at the Bernabeu standing in our way.”
And he added: “The Clasico is an important match. Whoever wins will get a big morale boost, while the loser will feel sad. It’s the kind of match you want to watch. We will enter the match with our heads held high, we have a team that can do things there.”
He stressed, “I hope the players defend the Barcelona shirt with the required spirit, because any time you fall you must rise again. We want to show how good we are, and that we can win the league.”