AFP, Madrid :
After 2,373 days away, Xavi Hernandez will be back with Barcelona for a match at Camp Nou on Saturday and he can expect a hero’s welcome.
Xavi’s return as coach was confirmed at the start of the international break but two weeks has done nothing to dim the crackle of excitement ahead of his opening game on the bench.
Almost 10,000 fans, at 1pm on a Monday, attended a presentation with club president Joan Laporta last week, when Xavi’s attempts to thank the crowd were thwarted by the sound of them chanting his name.
Laporta will hope more than eight times that number will be in the stands on Saturday when Barcelona face neighbours Espanyol, the club whose claim to a rivalry has historically been only geographical but who now find themselves level on points with Barca in La Liga.
It is another reminder of Barcelona’s slide away from the elite. They are ninth, already 10 points behind Real Madrid in second and, more pressingly, six adrift of Atletico Madrid in fourth.
Averting the financial diaster of missing out on Champions League qualification will be Xavi’s first priority between now and May.
