Xavi: “I think it’s illogical that a footballer plays against his parent club”

Eric García will face his parent club in the Catalan derby this Sunday as Girona hope to continue their excellent run of form that has put them in second place, on joint points with league leaders Real Madrid. Barcelona, on the other hand, will hope to build on their impressive win against Atlético Madrid as they endeavour to climb the table.

Xavi is expecting a difficult game on Sunday, which he believes will be made even more difficult by the presence of Barca loanee García. In his pre-match press conference, adapted by Marca, the Barcelona manager said he regrets not being able to add the so-called ‘fear clause’ to his contract. This will mean that the 22-year-old will be available to Míchel on Sunday.

Xavi believes that a player should not be able to play against his parent club and used the example of João Félix, who scored the only goal in Barcelona’s win against Atlético. “I think it’s illogical that your own footballer plays against you. He will be extra motivated.”

Another Barcelona loanee, Pablo Torre, however, will not be available for Girona as he does have a clause that prevents him from featuring. On his clause, Xavi said, “The clause makes sense to me. Look at Félix last week. How would you feel? Your own player can never be against you.”

GSFN | Finn Entwistle