Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez praised his player and former teammate Sergio Busquets as the best midfielder in the world – alongside Real Madrid’s Casemiro. If anyone knows midfielders – it’s Xavi, who is widely regarded as one of the best the game has ever seen.Sergio may be 33 years old, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at his stats. The long-serving player has only missed one competitive fixture this season – and that was due to a suspension. In total, he played 43 out of 44 Barcelona games. And this season is no exception. In his 14 campaigns with the Camp Nou club, Sergio has played over 40 matches in each and every one of them.Xavi giving it a like pic.twitter.com/G9B7hAFXPP— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 13, 2022 Over the years, Barcelona had immense attacking players in Lionel Messi, Neymar, Luis Suarez, Andres Iniesta and many more. Those players were allowed to show all their talent because they’ve had a dependable player playing behind them and stopping the opposition to exploit any space left by the more “glamorous” Barca stars. But to suggest that Busquets is just a workhorse would be unfair. A player of his ability and intelligence would walk into just about every team in the world.The 133-times Spain international shows no signs of stopping and will have another chance to shine on the European stage. After Barca had scraped a 1-1 draw away at Eintracht Frankfurt last week, they will play for a place in the UEFA Europa League semi-final at their Camp Nou.Ready for #BarçaEintracht!🔊 𝑺𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑫 𝑶𝑵 🔊 pic.twitter.com/b5keLuSZKe— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 14, 2022 Although this competition has neither the glamour nor the media impact of the Champions League, Xavi’s project needs to also rely on success. Winning this competition would be a huge boost. But it’s not the result that matters, but how you get the result.The Blaugrana coach said that his team has an obligation to win and play well. It’s not enough just to win 1-0 in the 90th minute. You have to seek excellence because the long history demands it. And that makes Barca the most complicated club in the world to coach and to play for.Barca will be able to count on two players who have been missing for the last two fixtures: Memphis Depay and Sergino Dest. The latter has been absent for several weeks, but could return to action after a hamstring issue. Gerard Pique is in the matchday squad but it is not yet clear if he will be fit to play.UEFA EUROPA LEAGUEQuarter-final, second legThursday19.45: (2.65) Atalanta (3.25) RB Leipzig (2.70) /first leg 1-1/22.00: (1.40) Barcelona (5.30) Eintr.Frankfurt (8.00) /first leg 1-1/22.00: (2.25) Olympique Lyon (3.40) West Ham (3.45) /first leg 1-1/22.00: (2.05) Rangers (3.50) Braga (3.90) /first leg 0-1/***odds are subject to change
