Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez said on Tuesday that he had set his sights on helping FC Barcelona win the third Champions League title in the history of the club.
Barcelona has already won a domestic League and Cup double in Spain and now they face Manchester United in the final of the Champions League.
The game is played in Rome on Wednesday night and Xavi is the key player in Barcelona's central midfield. His battle against Manchester United's Michael Carrick will be vital in deciding the outcome of the game and the Spaniard says he will not be holding anything back.
A knee injury kept him out of the final three years ago, when Barcelona beat Arsenal in Paris and that memory of having to watch that game from the dugout will spur him on tomorrow.
"I have got that eating away at me," Xavi told sports paper El Mundo Deportivo.
"We have got everything prepared for the final.
We are arriving in our best physical and psychological moment and we are going to give all that we have got to win the Champions League."
Xavi was part of the Spanish national team that was crowned European Champions last summer. Now his club is up against Manchester United, who won last season's Champions League and which is looking to defend its title.
"We respect the reigning champions and at the moment the outcome of the final is 50-50. But we must respect our own style of football."
"The most important thing is for us to control the middle of the pitch and from there, we will be able to launch our attacks."
Barcelona is without suspended full backs Dani Alves and Eric Abidal for the big game in Rome’s Olympic Stadium, while Thierry Henry and Andres Iniesta are doubtful after missing the last two games with a knee problem and a thigh injury.
Xavi was optimistic that the pair would be able to take part in the final.
"They have both got good feelings about the match. I think they will be fit to play and we are a better team if they are available," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency May 27, 2009)
