Barcelona coach Xavi wants low-key friendlies before Liga return
Barça spoke with Arsenal and Juve but Xavi wanted a different profile of opponent
Barcelona still have over three weeks until they return to LaLiga action, when they host Espanyol in the derby on Dec. 31 at Camp Nou.
The coaching staff have been planning the return to work, with some players back in training as of Monday, and exploring possible friendlies before that game against Espanyol.
Talks with Arsenal & Juventus
During November, in fact, the Catralan club spoke with various teams about possible friendlies. There was a discussion with Arsenal about a game at the Emirates Stadium on Dec. 17 and with Juventus about playing in Turin on Dec. 22.
However, the coaching staff were not keen on these trips and have opted for more intensive training work at the training ground for various reasons.
One reason is that the players are returning from the World Cup at different times, depending on their progress in Qatar, and it's better for them to return to training little by little rather than being thrown into games.
Smaller rivals
In this sense, a friendly against a smaller opponent has not been ruled out to gain some match rhythm before Espanyol. A game against Barça Atletic could even be an option or against a lower-league side based around Barcelona.
Nothing has been decided 100% and a decision will likely be made this week.
