Barcelona coach Xavi was overjoyed after his team rallied from a goal down to defeat Galatasaray 2-1 and advance to the competition's quarter-finals.
The visitors were met with an intimidating atmosphere in Istanbul, but they passed with flying colors thanks to goals from Pedri and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
After the game, Xavi shared his thoughts and expressed his pride in his team's ability to come from behind to win.
"We played a match with a lot of personality." It was an outstanding performance to fight back in such a hostile environment against such a strong team. They knew how to counter-attack us, but we were patient. I'm overjoyed for
“Today was significant. "This is a European competition, and we want to win." And you could say we're in a good position [ahead of El Clasico]. But that is meaningless; I've seen it many times before. It will be extremely difficult. It will be difficult."
Barcelona has a poor recent record in El Clasico, but they are in excellent form, especially away from home. The Catalans have won four games in a row on the road in all competitions.