Xavi Hernandez will have one more chance to get his Barcelona playing well before its first Champions League knockout-round game in three years.
Barcelona crosses northern Spain to Celta Vigo on Saturday, four days before it travels to Napoli in the Champions League round of 16.
Xavi stunned Barcelona less than three weeks ago when he announced he would not continue as coach after this season. He cited “mental fatigue” and said he hoped his announcement would release the tension he felt on his team. But Barcelona still looks like a side ill-equipped to make a deep run in Europe’s elite competition.
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After wins over Osasuna and Alaves, Barcelona had to endure jeers from its fans last weekend when it struggled to salvage a 3-3 draw against a relegation-threatened Granada. And that was with goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen back in the lineup after he missed several weeks injured.
“Our defensive errors are killing us and have marked our season,” Xavi said after being irate at his team’s mistakes. “We cannot have any more slips.”
At first glance, the game against Rafa Benítez’s Celta looks like just what Barcelona needs. Celta is one spot and three points above the drop zone and has lost four of its last five games across La Liga and the Copa del Rey.
But Balaidos Stadium has proven to be one of the toughest grounds for Barcelona in recent years. Barcelona has won only one of its last eight visits to Celta, in 2020.
Celta striker Iago Aspas has done most of the damage against Barcelona, scoring 10 goals in 18 career league games against the Catalan club. The 36-year-old Aspas, however, is no longer a sure bet to start for Benítez after scoring only three times in this campaign.
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Jorgen Strand Larssen is Celta’s top-scoring threat with nine league goals. United States midfielder Luca de la Torre and Aspas have helped with five assists each.
Barcelona is in third place at 10 points behind leader Real Madrid.
Its game at Napoli comes after it failed to advance from the Champions League group phase in the previous two seasons.
OTHER GAMES
Madrid leads second-placed Girona by five points before the frontrunner visits crosstown rival Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.
Rayo, in 14th place, will play its first game under new coach Inigo Perez after the club fired Francisco Rodríguez following a run of bad results.
Girona has a tough visit to fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao on Monday. Girona is coming off a scoreless draw with Real Sociedad and a 4-0 loss at Madrid last weekend.
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