Barcelona boss Xavi isn’t taking Royal Antwerp for granted and one player in particular has his attention.
The Catalan giants face the Belgian side in their first Champions League match of the season on Tuesday night and the iconic midfielder considers ex-Tottenham star Vincent Janssen a big threat.
Barcelona could only settle for the Europa League knockout stage play-offs last season, losing to Manchester United.
However, their Spanish league title success has seen them return to the Champions League, a competition they have won five times.
Xavi was key in four of those successes, with Royal Antwerp boss Mark van Bommel a teammate of his in the 2004/05 season victory.
And the former has been full of praise for the latter before their meeting and also pointed out the threat posed by Dutch star Janssen.
On his Van Bommel, Xavi said: “I have a great memory as a teammate and as an opponent, he was a physically very strong footballer.
“He was a good teammate and a good friend. He is doing a good job in Antwerp. It is a very dynamic rival, I would highlight the wingers with Janssen as a reference upfront.”
After scoring 32 goals for AZ Alkmaar during the 2015/16 season, Janssen sealed a move to Spurs in a deal worth around £17million.
However, he netted just six times across 42 appearances as his career in north London was hampered by injury.
Janssen departed in 2019 for Mexican side Monterrey before completing a return to Europe three years later to Antwerp.
The move has proven successful so far for the 29-year-old as he scored 18 goals for them last season en route to their Belgian Pro League title win.
And Barcelona will face an in-form Janssen on Tuesday night too as the current campaign has already seen him net six times in eight games.
He is no stranger to Champions League football after his five appearances in the competition with Spurs and he could help seal a shock win over Xavi’s side.
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