Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has praised Cristiano Ronaldo after his side were drawn against Manchester United in the Europa League.
United have been drawn against the Spanish heavyweights for a play-off round ahead of the Europa League last-16 after they finished second in their group. Barca have dropped down into the competition after finishing third in Group C of the Champions League, behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
The tie is a hugely historic one and will be a repeat of the 2019 Champions League quarter-finals, their most recent meeting. It means Xavi will face Ronaldo, a player he came up against frequently when he was still marshalling the midfield for Barcelona rather than managing them.
Ronaldo scored 20 times against Barcelona over nine years as a Real Madrid player, so Xavi knows just how destructive he can be in front of goal. Ahead of the two-legged tie, which will take place in February, the Barca boss was asked about the kind of threat Ronaldo would pose to his side.
“I think Ronaldo is a great, great player,” he replied. “He has marked an era in world football and can still make the difference."
Ronaldo has just three goals and two assists in 16 appearances for United this season following a rocky summer in which he tried to leave the club. He was recently disciplined by Erik ten Hag after refusing to come on against Tottenham, but has now rebuilt bridges to become a regular starter.
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It remains to be seen whether the 37-year-old striker will still be a United player come February 16, given the fixture falls shortly after the closing of the January transfer window. If he does stay put and see out the rest of his contract then it promises to be a huge fixture – but one Xavi would rather have avoided.
“The draw has given us the most difficult rival again, like in the Champions League group stage,” he added. “Luck was not on our side. Manchester United are a great rival, a historic club... the worst that we could wish for.
“They have great individualities, but I'd highlight the group they have. We'll prepare well, analyse the opponent as we have to.
“It's not just Cristiano, we are going to face a team that has grown a lot under Ten Hag and we'll have to challenge them on the pitch. [They are a] big historic club, they will have the same urgency to win as us.”
They may have failed in the Champions League for the second successive season, but Barcelona are performing much better domestically. Xavi’s side sit top of La Liga, two points ahead of rivals Real Madrid, who lost 3-2 to Rayo Vallecano on Monday to lose their unbeaten record.
