Barcelona, April 8 (IANS) With the long term knee injury now behind him, Barcelona star Gavi is getting back to his best and is relishing the opportunity to play in his UEFA Champions League quarterfinal against Borussia Dortmund.
Good performance usually means good results as has been the case on so many occasions this season for Hansi Flick’s side. Another will be needed on Wednesday in the first-leg of their quarterfinal against the Bundesliga side with the return leg to come in Germany next week. Gavi is aware the side are doing well but also careful to avoid complacency.
“We are putting in a great season, but we don’t feel unbeatable. In football, you can’t always win. Winning key games will be the way to go for the midfield as the team wants to celebrate as many trophies as possible with the fans.
“They (fans) have to be excited. We are having a very good season, but we have to keep our feet on the ground. We are working to make the fans happy and to win as many titles as possible,” said Gavi in the pre-game conference.
The two-legged tie has the potential of a goal fest as Barca might be the highest scoring team in the competition so far with 32 goals, but the Germans are second in the ranking on 28, matched with their countrymen from Bayern Munich and also Real Madrid.
The teams also have the two highest-scoring individuals in the Champions League this season. Raphinha leads the way with 11, one more than BVB’s Serhou Guirassy, who has 10 goals in the 12 games played so far.
The young Spanish midfielder ended the press conference by reiterating his commitment to Barcelona by saying he plans on retiring with the side. “Obviously, I would like to retire at Barça. You never know, but if it were up to me, I’d retire here at Barça,” added Gavi.
–IANS
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