Xavi insists defeat by Real would not end title challenge

The veteran midfielder is adamant that the Catalans are not in a win-or-bust situation ahead of their trip to the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday evening.Xavi insists that defeat against Real Madrid on Saturday night would not kill off Barcelona’s hopes of retaining their La Liga crown.The Catalans go into the game at the Santiago Bernabeu trailing their great rivals by three points, having also played one game more.With Madrid currently on a 14-game winning streak in all competitions, there are those that believe Barcelona simply cannot afford to lose in the Spanish capital.However, Xavi, a veteran of the Clasico, does not see it like that.“If we did not win, there would still be many points,” he is quoted as saying by AS during a press conference in Barcelona on Wednesday. “There will be no [final] verdict.”He did concede, though, that Barcelona are currently in relatively unfamiliar territory in that they are not favourites to prevail.“Madrid are doing well, with 11 straight wins in the league, and they have three more points than us,” the Spain midfielder said.“The advantage means they are currently better, but the Clasico is not about ranking. Anything can happen.“This is the first Clasico to arrive in three or four years in which Madrid are in better shape [than us]. They are physically strong.”Some of the meetings between the rivals last season turned nasty, but Xavi insists that there is no bad blood between the players."That's already forgotten,” he claimed. “On Saturday, each player will fight for his team to win.“It is logical that sometimes tension occurs on the field. I hope that at the end of the game we are talking about football and only that."