Barcelona's Xavi Hernandez looking forward to clash with Valencia
Injured Spanish international and Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez is eyeing his return to football this weekend when his club side takes on league leaders Valencia.
Xavi has logged a lot of playing time for both his club and his country, and it appears to have caught up with him as he recently pulled himself out of the Barcelona and Spain lineups to give himself time to recover from an injury that had been bothering
him since the summer. Xavi has admitted that the consequences of him not taking the time to rest could have been catastrophic.
Spain did not require his services when they beat Lithuania 3-1 on October 8, but his club side could certainly have used him when they drew 1-1 with Mallorca on October 3.
Xavi recently spoke with Barca TV and explained his situation. "Now I am feeling much better, but I have struggled a lot playing with pain...The doctors and I knew about my injury, but there were big games ahead which I could not miss. It was me
who did not want to stop and play with pain."
"After the Rubin Kazan game I spoke to Vicente Del Bosque and Pep Guardiola about it. I believe it was the perfect time to rest. Let’s see if I manage to overcome this injury."
"I did play, although I was afraid to pick up an even more serious injury which could have ruled me out for the rest of the season. That’s always a risk and I took my chances."
Spain were atop their group in Euro 2012 qualifying, while Barcelona has struggled in the league and currently sits in fourth place. They will be looking to make a huge leap forward if they can to claim a win at the Camp Nou against Valencia. Xavi's presence
would be instrumental in helping to make that happen.
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