Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez has said he would like to draw inspiration from the club's record-breaking women's team when they host Sevilla on Sunday for a chance to finish second in LaLiga.
Xavi was present at the Camp Nou on Wednesday, sitting with former teammate Carles Puyol, a world-record crowd for a women's game of 91,553 as Barca beat Real Madrid 5-2 to reach the semi-finals of the Women's Champions League. defeated by
"I really enjoyed it," the Barca coach told a news conference on Saturday. "It gave me goosebumps. The atmosphere was fantastic. They deserved it."
"What I experienced really affected me. I hope it's the same for us [on Sunday against Sevilla]. From the first day I've been here, the fans have reacted."
Barca's men have won just one Copa del Rey trophy during the past two seasons, while the women's side has enjoyed unprecedented success.
They beat Villarreal 6-1 on Saturday to win 26 of 26 league games and have already won the title and won the Spanish Supercopa.
With the Champions League and Copa de la Reina still to play for, they could end the campaign with four trophies, one more than last year.
"I have a good relationship with Alexia [Putellas] and Aitana [Bonmati]," Xavi said. "I sent messages to both of them the week after the game.
"[Coach] Jonathan Giraldez's approach is really good. His model of play is what the club maintains. During [the last few] years, the women's team has been an example.
"They compete well, they win ... I was transferred to Camp Nou the other day. It was an important move, but it could not have ended there. [Wolfsburgh] to Camp Nou for the semi-finals [against] will be refilled."
Under Xavi, Barca's men are finally taking steps towards mirroring the women's team. Since taking over, they have moved up from ninth to third in the league and will surpass Sevilla if they beat them this weekend.
Barcelona's title hopes were given life before the international break with a 4-0 Clásico win over Madrid, but they are 12 points behind the leaders, although with a game in hand. Madrid travels to Celta Vigo on Saturdays.
"The Sevilla game is another final," Xavi said. "It's a big test and a chance to move to second place after the results are good. We'll also keep an eye on what happens at Wego, but I prefer to focus on what we should do. If good news [With Madrid dropping points], it will be an additional motivation for us.
"The message to the squad is clear: the victory over Madrid was only worth three points. We can't rest. We want to finish as far as possible in LaLiga and get away in the Europa League."
Barca will be without Luc de Jong against Sevilla after testing positive for COVID-19, while Sergi Roberto, Sergio Dest, Samuel Umeti and Anu Fati are all injured. Anu has returned to training, but Xavi said she is not yet ready for competitive action.
Meanwhile, Xavi urged the club to renew the contracts of Gavi and Ronald Araujo in 2023, with deals for both players.
"They are really important players," he said. "The club cannot allow either of them to go. I think their renewal is a question of timing. I am confident that they will both reach an agreement and remain. I am optimistic."