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Barça seek to meet own standards vs. Eintracht for Europa League semis

Barcelona (Spain)/Berlin, Apr 13 (EFE).- Barcelona barely left Frankfurt alive after a disappointing first half in a 1-1 draw, a scenario they ill afford when they host Eintracht for the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinal on Thursday.

The Catalan club will be driven by a morale-boosting, thrilling 3-2 victory over Levante that showcased their strength in tough moments, but also by the club’s high standards.

“This is Barça and we have the obligation to win and play well,” Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said at a presser on the eve of the game. “It’s about being excellent in everything we do.”

“Barça is the most demanding club in the world because we have the obligation to win by playing well and this is the difficult part; it is the most complicated club in the world,” he added.

In their quest to move closer to an “underrated” title, Xavi will have available Memphis Depay and Sergiño Dest, who received the medical green light on Wednesday and made the roster

Despite not being cleared by the doctors, Gerard Piqué also returned to the squad having missed the Levante game with left leg discomfort that forced him out of the first leg during the first half.

Eintracht, meanwhile, were handed their ninth Bundesliga defeat of the season, this time at the hands of Freiburg despite controlling the game and carving out the most scoring chances.

The defeat, however, highlighted their struggle when deprived of space.

“We have to minimize counterattacks and defend more with the ball. We have to compete better,” Xavi said.EFE

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