Barca must fight for titles next season: Xavi

Manager optimistic after Catalans secure top-four spot with 2-1 win over Betis in La Liga

MADRID:

Barcelona secured qualification for next season's Champions League on Saturday as Jordi Alba's 94th-minute winner against Real Betis guaranteed the Catalans' place in the top four of La Liga.

Alba's stinging injury-time volley snatched a 2-1 victory for Barca at the Benito Villamarin to ensure they will play in the Champions League next term, an achievement likely to be crucial to the club's hopes of financial recovery.

When Xavi Hernandez took over as coach in November, Barcelona lay ninth in La Liga, with genuine concerns about their chances of closing the gap.

But, Xavi's team surged up the table and can now look forward to rejoining their rivals Real Madrid in Europe's premier tournament next season.

"We have saved the situation," said Xavi. "This team believes until the end, it has a competitive edge that we didn't have in November."

The difference between Champions League and Europa League football could be worth more than 50 million euros ($52.7 million) to Barcelona, who began the season with debts of more than a billion euros and were forced to let Lionel Messi leave for free last summer.

While a trophyless season can never count as a success for Barca, finishing in the top four is an impressive achievement for Xavi and a huge relief for the club.

"We are Barca, so this is the minimum requirement, but in November we were ninth," added Xavi. "We've had a very good second half of the season and now we look forward to next year, to improve enough to win titles."

Victory leaves Barcelona second in the table, 11 points clear of Betis in fifth. Both teams have three games left to play. Barca should now be confident of clinching second place too, with a five-point edge over Sevilla.

Betis looked like they had sealed a point after Marc Bartra headed in an equaliser in the 78th minute, three minutes after Ansu Fati had come off the bench to give Barcelona the lead. Alba, though, fired in at the back post to claim all three points for the visitors.

Fati's goal was his first in the league since November as the 19-year-old continues his latest recovery from another lengthy spell on the sidelines.

The teenager briefly returned in January from a hamstring injury that has kept him out for the best part of six months. That had followed his nightmare 11 months out with a knee problem between November 2020 and September last year.

"Ansu has this magic, an eye for goal, he is a difference-maker," said Xavi. "Where someone else needs three of four chances, he can score with half a chance."