Barcelona captain Xavi has refused to blame his side's absentees for their Champions League exit at the hands of the "extraordinary" Bayern Munich in the semi-finals on Wednesday night.
The Germans progressed to the final with a 7-0 aggregate triumph following a 3-0 win at the Camp Nou against a Barca side that was missing senior players Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano, Eric Abidal and Sergio Busquets through injury while Jordi Alba was suspended and Lionel Messi was an unused substitute.
However, Xavi insists that the Catalan outfit cannot use their missing players as an excuse and believes Bayern are worthy of a place at Wembley.
"Right now [Bayern] are at an extraordinary level," Xavi told Canal+. "They have been better and very much deserve to be in the finals.
"Physically, we've been in bad shape with regards to players missing. Busquets, Abidal, Puyol, Mascherano; they are important players. But neither is that an excuse. Bayern have been better. Mentally strong, physically extraordinary."
Bayern will now face fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund in the final at Wembley later this month.
Matt Cotton
