Barcelona must make the most of lead over Madrid, Xavi Hernandez says
Midfielder stokes up atmosphere ahead of first clash of season with Real Madrid
Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez feels their eight-point lead over Real Madrid has piled the pressure on their bitter rivals ahead of La Liga's first Clasico of the season a little over a week away.
The Catalan side have not always been at their best and have looked vulnerable at the back but they now travel to Sevilla today looking for their sixth successive win, compared to only two victories for Madrid.
While his teammates have looked to play down the lead, Xavi preferred to give importance to the gap and further stoke up the atmosphere before they go head-to-head on October 7.
"Eight points is a lead that I like," he said. "We now have a difficult away game against a strong Sevilla team but eight points are a lot and Real cannot make more mistakes.
"It is good to see us in this position and Madrid have problems. Last year they went 10 points ahead and it was as though we had lost the league, and now it is still very early on but we need to make the most of it."
Xavi also praised new coach Tito Vilanova, who took over from Pep Guardiola in the summer. "Tito isn't someone who jokes about, he is a football man and speaks his mind. He has a lot of personality which I knew he had but it was hidden to an extent under Pep when he didn't speak as much, but he is a leader."