Barcelona boss Xavi has said that the club are starting the 2022-23 campaign "with high hopes" due to their summer transfer activity.
Despite their financial issues, the Catalan giants have been able to make some high-profile signings this summer, bringing in Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde.
Barcelona finished second in La Liga last season, some 13 points behind the champions Real Madrid, while they were eliminated in the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey and group stage of the Champions League.
Xavi has said that Real Madrid are the favourites to win the title this season due to their position as defending champions, but the 42-year-old is confident that his side will be in the mix for the major trophies this term.
"We are starting the new season with high hopes following the new signings we made and the competition that this will generate among the squad," he told reporters ahead of Saturday's clash with Rayo.
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"[Andoni] Iraola has worked hard to put together a strong Rayo side. They may not be household names but they hit you on the counter attack like jet planes.
"We have had a great pre-season, but the hour of truth will come this Saturday. We have a very good squad, but we have to show that we are better on the pitch. The favourite to win the league is always the team that won the season before. But we are a strong candidate.
"The idea is to compete with everything and for everything. The target is to win trophies. We'll have to wait and see how far we can go with that.
"As a coach, I am all about winning or not winning. But it is also very important for us to play well. We want people to enjoy watching us and we have been building our system since November to do just that.
"We have seen a bit of everything. But right now we are generating high expectations. That puts more pressure on me. But in a good way."
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Barcelona have still not been able to register any of their summer signings, or the contract renewals of Sergi Roberto and Ousmane Dembele, due to their financial issues.
However, Xavi has said that the club are "highly optimistic" of solving the issue in the near future, potentially in time for the contest with Rayo at Camp Nou.
"We are working on registering all the players. We are highly optimistic here at the club," added the Spaniard.
Xavi has also suggested that there could be more new arrivals before the end of the transfer window, with Chelsea's Marcos Alonso and Manchester City's Bernardo Silva both being strongly linked with switches to the club.
"We still have until August 31 to plan things in the transfer market. It depends on which players leave," the legendary midfielder added when asked about the plans for the rest of the window.
Xavi also addressed the futures of Frenkie de Jong and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang during his press conference, with the pair being strongly linked with summer exits.
Matt Law
