Xavi: 'Joao Felix will be extra-motivated against Atletico Madrid'

Barcelona head coach Xavi has said that Joao Felix will be "extra-motivated" when he comes up against his parent club Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Sunday night.

The Portugal international scored the only goal of the match earlier this season, as Barcelona recorded a 1-0 victory over Atletico in the reverse La Liga clash on home soil.

Felix is set to come up against his parent club for the second time on Sunday, and Xavi has backed the 24-year-old to cause more misery to the Red and Whites.

"He is tailor-made for the big teams. Joao had a great game in the previous round, he will be important tomorrow," Xavi told reporters during his pre-match press conference.

"Personally, I liked the hostile environment. Joao has a strong character and wants to show his talent, which he has a lot of. We will need a lot of personality to win the game.

"He has all the characteristics to play a great game tomorrow. I see him calm and motivated, extra-motivated. He's coming back to what has been his home.

"He already had a great game in the first round, hopefully he can do it again."

Felix joined Barcelona on loan from Atletico in the closing stages of the summer transfer window, and he has represented the Catalan side on 33 occasions, scoring eight goals and registering five assists.

The Portuguese is attempting to earn a permanent move to the reigning La Liga champions, although much will depend on Atletico's asking price due to Barcelona's well-documented financial problems.

Felix has made 131 appearances for Atletico, scoring 34 goals and registering 18 assists in the process, and he has another five years left to run on his contract at Wanda Metropolitano.

A breakdown in his relationship with head coach Diego Simeone led to him joining Chelsea on loan for the second half of last season, though, and he is now spending more time away from the club.

When asked about Felix during his own pre-match press conference, Simeone told reporters: "I am very respectful of players who play for other teams. I don't normally think about any of them and this is no exception. We played a beautiful game and from that effort, we hope to play a great game."

Felix is seemingly battling Raphinha for a starting role on Sunday evening, with Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski unlikely to lose their spots for the contest.

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