The Barcelona coach, Xavi Pascual, has been clear about tomorrow's match, the third of the Liga Endesa final, which he has described as: "The most difficult and important game we have probably ever played".
He explained that "yesterday we worked, talked, analyzed the mistakes we made, especially in the second game, and we have to be prepared for tomorrow's game, which is now the most important thing".
He believes that "now the final moves to Barcelona, to a scenario where we have shown solidarity throughout the season and we have to reaffirm it tomorrow. Undoubtedly, one of the keys to starting the comeback must be our fans. We hope they help us a lot, as they always do in all the games we play at home, and we hope they do it again, and most importantly: we hope to be able to repay them with good play and a victory".
In his entire time leading Barcelona, there had never been a situation like the current one and he has indicated that: "We are in a situation that we have not faced too many times in the past, practically none, and it is really difficult and complicated and I hope that together we will be able to face the game for what it is: all or nothing. We have to play for our lives from the jump ball".
"I am concerned about the game itself, trying to win it, beyond what it may mean, like each of the games we have played against Real Madrid. We are going to try to get this first victory because it would be a painful end to a season with many negative inputs and many problems during it, but I think we have to give our best to be able to put one in the win column," the Barcelona coach specified.
He has taken full responsibility for the team's situation, saying: "First of all, the coach is the main responsible for everything and, therefore, when something is not achieved and the team fails to have the right mentality, the coach is the main responsible. This is the first part, and the most important one, but from there, it is clear that when the game becomes adverse for us, we find it very difficult to suffer, have a good mentality, and show up to be able to change the course of things. On the other hand, in the games that we more or less have the advantage, as in the two home games against Unicaja, we are capable of playing a great game".
He added in this regard: "Throughout the season, we have been able to do the best and also the worst when the games become uphill battles. We have been fighting all year to change this and I hope that tomorrow things will go more in our favor".
Referring to the disastrous first quarter of the second game in Madrid (31-10), he emphasized that: "A first quarter like that is very difficult to face because, no matter how you look at it, seven out of seven in three-pointers are hard to digest for any team, but we should have had a superior offensive response and not have fallen behind by watching the opponent score so easily".
"In the first game, we had our chances to win and it is evident that if Madrid had easily beaten us in the first game and we had come closer in the second game, surely we would have better sensations to face tomorrow's game, but now it is a new game in which Madrid will have to depend on our game to win, just as we will depend on theirs to do it," he pointed out.
He confirmed the absence of captain Juan Carlos Navarro for tomorrow and he has not hidden that: "Being 2-0 down penalizes a lot and you see the possibility of turning the series around further away and everything becomes more complicated. But without a doubt, you have to rely on character, enthusiasm, challenge, winning mentality, or you can't compete; something that at Palau we have always done against all the teams and we have been able to suffer and fight until the last moment and I see no reason not to do it tomorrow".