Xavi Pascual: “Besiktas will demand a lot from us”

Barça Regals’ manager, Xavi Pascual, talked to Barça TV before he set course with his team to Turkey to play against Besiktas this Friday (19.00) in the Euroleague. Pascual is looking forward to the chance to extend his team’s undefeated streak in the competition: “There’s a fantastic atmosphere in Istanbul, they will demand a lot from us. They are playing against a team that’s already qualified for the Top 16 and they’ll be eager to defeat a big team, an undefeated team.” Barça Regal will face a team that’s won four times and lost three times this season in the Euroleague, Besiktas currently sit in the third position of Group G: “They have incisive players that dominate and score easily; players like Jerrels, Cetin, Cristopher, Markota and Vidmar...” warns Pascual.

Different performance in the Liga Endesa

When asked if there are two versions of Barça Regal, the team that plays in the Liga Endesa and another that plays in the Euroleague, Pascual said: “When it comes to the numbers I’m sure there are differences. Some matches have gotten away from us by a very slim margin, like the games against Valencia or Bilbao. We lost due to very small details, but they are still defeats. We need to improve our performances in the Liga.”

Hezonja is “ready to compete”

On Wednesday night the Club announced that Navarro and Mickeal would not be available for Friday’s match. “Navarro has an inflammation in his right ankle and Pete is dealing with the same thing, only on his left knee. They aren’t training with normality and their symptoms resurged,” said Pascual. Despite the setback, the manager is happy to be able to call on reserve players to fill the void: “We’re taking Mario Hezonja with us to Istanbul, he’s been training with the first team for a long time. He’s a player who’s ready to find his place on the team, he’s ready to compete with us.”

Rabaseda: “It’s going to be difficult”

Barça Regal’s player, Xavi Rabaseda, also talked to Barça TV before tomorrow’s match. “It’s going to be difficult, the atmosphere will be hostile, their fans are very loud ... it’s going to be very hard,” he said. He’s also pleased that Hezonja got the nod: “He’s a player that stands out due to his capacity to score. He’s young and he lacks experience, but little by little he’ll be able to help the first team.”