Barcelona head coach Xavi has insisted that he is "calm and confident" when it comes to his position, with the Catalan outfit bidding to finish their 2023 with a win over Almeria.

There is currently speculation surrounding Xavi's future at Camp Nou, as a run of just one win from their last four La Liga matches has left them down in fourth position in the table.

Barcelona, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Valencia on Saturday, are nine points behind La Liga leaders Girona, and there is huge pressure on Xavi to deliver a positive result against the side at the bottom of the division.

A recent report claimed that the Catalan outfit have no immediate plans to sack their manager, but Barcelona B head coach Rafael Marquez has been identified as a replacement in the future.

Ahead of the clash with Almeria, Xavi said that he is "calm and confident" when it comes to his future.

"If you ask yourselves... I see it as normal (the speculation). If you ask me if I am suffering because of the position, I have to answer. I am calm and I am confident. That's all there is to it," he told reporters.

"We've failed, but we're going to fight for everything. We can plug in and we'll have our moment. If we fail more it's going to be very complicated, but we're going to fight for all the titles.

"I believe a lot in what I do. I am stubborn and positive. I'm the man in charge and I'm positive and excited. I think we can have a great season. Sometimes it can be unpleasant to be a Barca coach, but if you want to be an elite coach you have to put up with it. I believe a lot in what we are doing."

Xavi also insisted that his side can still win La Liga despite sitting nine points off the summit, while they are also seven points behind second-placed Real Madrid in the table.

"I think it's possible to come back. We have to make sure we don't fail. Our mistakes are taking their toll on us," he said when addressing his side's title chances, before discussing Girona's challenge.

"I said they were a direct rival and that they were going to fight for La Liga. The coach has put together a very good approach and they have players of a very high level. They are a direct rival to win La Liga."

Xavi also defended Robert Lewandowski, who has managed just one goal in his last four La Liga appearances and just three in Spain's top flight since the end of September.

"Lewandowski is not an exception in the lack of effectiveness, but we all fail here. We have nine points less than last season and I'm sure we've done things wrong," said the manager.

"There is a lack of effectiveness and consistency. In the game, I think we've improved and we've dominated, but the lack of effectiveness in the penalty area is weighing us down."

Barcelona will be missing Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gavi, Marcos Alonso, Inigo Martinez and Pedri against Almeria due to injuries, while Frenkie de Jong is unavailable due to suspension, which has led to Fermin Lopez and Sergi Roberto both being given starts. body check tags ::