Barcelona icon Xavi believes Jordi Alba will need to use all of his experience to thwart ‘dangerous’ Liverpool forward Sadio Mane in the side’s Champions League semi-final.
Mane has scored a career-best 24 goals in all competitions for Liverpool this season, just one fewer than Mohamed Salah, and is in red-hot form ahead of the first leg at the Nou Camp.
The Senegal international was rewarded with a place in the PFA Team of the Year last week and Barcelona will no doubt be aware of the threat he poses to their hopes of securing a sixth European title.
Former Barca midfielder Xavi believes Mane has been playing ‘at the same level’ as Salah this term and knows Alba will have to be at his best to stop the ex-Southampton man on Wednesday evening.
‘Alba has so much experience in big games for Barcelona and Spain and will need to use all that experience to keep Sadio Mane quiet,’ Xavi said.
‘He has been playing at the same level as Mo Salah this season.
‘And his pace and his goalscoring ability makes him so dangerous.’
Mane is relishing the chance to play at the ‘wonderful’ Nou Camp against Barcelona, a team he has greatly admired since childhood.
‘I try everything to help the team get a positive result,’ Mane said.
‘I am excited and hopefully tomorrow I will score for the team.
‘It’s a wonderful stadium. I have been watching Barcelona since I was young.
‘All of us love to watch football, and it will be great for us to play in this kind of stadium. But it will be motivation for us, not pressure.’
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