'Not at the level we were' - Xavi attempts to provoke response from his stuttering Barcelona players ahead of Porto Champions League showdown

Xavi's side have struggled for form of late, dropping points against Rayo on Saturday, and also losing to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League in early November. Although they are three points ahead of second-placed Shakhtar in their European group, a loss to Porto could see the reigning La Liga champions fall into a Europa League spot.

In a press conference, Xavi called on his team to respond to their recent poor form.

"I'm very critical of the players, in the videos, in the talks. We have to demand a lot of ourselves. We are not at the level we were a month and a half or two months ago.

"We have to push harder, recover our intensity, our winning mentality. We have shown that. Now we've dropped a bit. We have to be more humble, more generous, more compact. And starting tomorrow".

Xavi hasn't benefitted from much continuity in his team so far this year. The Blaugrana have struggled with injuries all campaign, most recently losing star midfielder Gavi to a season-ending knee injury. They edged Porto 1-0 the last time the two sides played.

The Blaugrana will host Porto at the Olympic Stadium on Tuesday evening, before facing Atletico Madrid on Sunday.