Xavi warned his Barcelona players they cannot assume the title is theirs even if they beat Real Madrid in Sunday's Clasico.
Barca welcome Madrid to Camp Nou for the second LaLiga Clasico of the season, and it comes at a potentially pivotal moment.
The Blaugrana are already nine points clear at LaLiga's summit, meaning anything other than a Madrid win will likely have the Spanish media proclaiming Barca as champions.
Even if Barca do lose, there will still likely be a fair amount of optimism at Camp Nou, given no team have ever led by as many as nine points at this stage of the season and failed to win the title.
Xavi recognises the importance of Sunday's contest, but he is not convinced by suggestions it is decisive – for either team.
"If we win, it would be a knock [for Madrid] in the table," he said.
"It wouldn't be definitive, but it would be a strong blow. Whatever happens, I think nothing will be decided [on Sunday].
"We train naturally, knowing we have a great opportunity. If we win, we will take a very important step to win the league.
"We are very motivated. For some players, it would be the first league title. We prepared for the match, no matter how important it is."
Sunday's game will be the second instalment in a run of three Clasicos in just over a month, with Barca winning 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Copa del Rey on March 2; the second leg of that semi-final is set for April 5.
Their meeting earlier this month had a peculiar feel to it, with Real Madrid recording 64.7 per cent possession, a high for them in Clasicos since at least the 2013-14 season. At the same time, Barcelona's 35.3 per cent possession was their lowest in a single match in any competition over the same period.
Although Barca did win that game, Xavi wants to see an improvement.
"Personally, I would like us to have a little more possession of the ball than in the Copa," he said.
"We are preparing the game in a certain way. We will try to have more control than in the last Clasico, have more of the ball and be protagonists with it.
"I see Madrid as very strong, they have improved a lot physically since January. I suppose it will be a closely contested game.
"The Clasicos are unpredictable, you never know what they will bring. We have prepared well; we have prepared many aspects. We hope Camp Nou will be a pressure cooker for them."
Of course, being able to call upon the ball-playing abilities of Pedri would help Barca retain possession.
However, the Spain international will be absent again on Sunday due to a persistent hamstring injury, with Xavi unwilling to risk him.
"We knew there was risk [with Pedri]," Xavi continued. "[On Friday] he didn't feel 100 per cent, and if you're not in good shape, the best thing you can do is recover well.
"We talked to him and told him that he didn't have to force himself. It's an important game, but it's not a great final. We don't want to lose Pedri for two more months.
"We have played well without [Robert] Lewandowski, without Pedri, without [Ousmane] Dembele, without Gavi... We have done it.
"People keep talking about the first leg of the Copa semi-final, but that's the only game in which we've not had possession.
"It's clear: a match in which we are dominated will not change our mentality. From the first day that I am here, we have worked in a very concrete way."
Vinicius named Player of the Season as Real Madrid sweep Champions League awards
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior was named the Champions League's Player of the Season by UEFA's technical observer panel on Monday.
Vinicius played 10 matches in the 2023-24 competition for champions Madrid, scoring six goals and assisting five.
He was on the scoresheet as Carlo Ancelotti's side beat Borussia Dortmund in the final on Saturday, earning his second Champions League medal with the club.
The Brazilian has 22 direct goal involvements in the knockout stages of Europe's premier club competition (11 goals, 11 assists), the joint-most recorded by any player before turning 24, alongside Lionel Messi.
The UEFA panel also named Vinicius' team-mate Jude Bellingham the Best Young Player of the 2023-24 tournament.
The 20-year-old England international scored four goals and provided five assists in 11 Champions League appearances.
The Goal of the Season award also went to a Madrid player, with Federico Valverde's late volley against Manchester City in a 3-3 quarter-final draw at the Santiago Bernabeu taking the honours.
Lewandowski denies reports he could join Mourinho at Fenerbahce
Robert Lewandowski has denied reports he could join Jose Mourinho at Fenerbahce, also insisting he is not considering retirement as he approaches his 36th birthday.
Lewandowski scored 26 goals in 49 games across all competitions in 2023-24, though that was down on his total of 33 goals as Barcelona won LaLiga in his first season with the club in 2022-23.
With the Blaugrana finishing a distant second to Real Madrid in LaLiga and exiting the Champions League at the quarter-final stage, reports had suggested an attacking refresh could be in the offing.
Lewandowski – who is halfway through a four-year deal with the Catalan giants – was linked with a move to Fenerbahce, who appointed Mourinho as their head coach on Sunday.
However, the Poland international has not heard anything about a transfer, telling Sport: "Fenerbahce have not contacted me. I don't know anything about it."
Lewandowski will turn 36 shortly after LaLiga's 2024-25 campaign commences in mid-August.
He was asked whether he might follow in the footsteps of Toni Kroos, who went out at the top of his game by helping Real Madrid win the Champions League in the final match of his club career on Saturday.
"My heart will tell me that moment. Before making a decision, I must first feel something," Lewandowski said.
"I don't know when it will happen, it's difficult to determine it by myself. I need to hear my decision to be sure of it and now I don't have it.
"Physically I feel very good and that means I can't think about retirement. Maybe Toni Kroos felt that moment, but it's not the case for me. I'm realising that the hard work I've done and I'm still doing is paying off."
Lewandowski will hope Hansi Flick's arrival at Camp Nou helps him step things up next season, having registered an incredible 83 goals and 18 assists in 71 games under him at Bayern Munich, between November 2019 and June 2021.
The striker also set the Bundesliga's single-season goal record under Flick, netting 41 times in 29 league matches as they won the title in 2020-21.
Nagelsmann hits out at 'racist' poll about make-up of Germany squad
Julian Nagelsmann has condemned a "racist" survey from German public broadcaster ARD, which asked respondents whether there should be more white players in the national team.
State broadcaster ARD asked 1,304 participants whether they would like to see more white players representing Germany at Euro 2024, with 21 per cent of respondents answering yes.
Germany and Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich described the poll as "absolute nonsense" on Saturday, saying the diversity of the national team was a major positive.
Coach Nagelsmann echoed those sentiments during a media briefing at the team's Herzogenaurach training base on Sunday, saying: "It is racist. I feel we need to wake up.
"Many people now in Europe had to flee, searching for a safe country.
"Josh responded really well, with a very clear and thought-out statement. I see this in exactly the same way. This question is insane.
"There are people in Europe who have had to flee because of war, economic factors, environmental disasters, people who simply want to be taken in.
"We have to ask: What are we doing at the moment?
"We in Germany are doing very, very well, and when we say something like that, I think it's crazy how we turn a blind eye and simply block out such things."
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