Barcelona boss Xavi has said that his team have drawn "the most difficult opponent once again", having been paired with Manchester United in the Europa League knockout round playoffs.

The Catalan outfit were unable to progress into the last-16 stage of the Champions League, having finished third in Group C behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.

As a result, Barcelona dropped into the Europa League, and they will have to beat Man United in a two-legged affair in February in order to progress to the last-16 stage of the competition.

Xavi has said that his side are "looking forward" to taking on the 20-time English champions but admitted that he would have rather avoided Erik ten Hag's side.

"It's the most difficult opponent once again. We are looking forward to it. They are a historic side, they have grown a lot since Ten Hag's arrival, and have great players. It's the worst draw we could have got," said Xavi while reacting to the draw on Monday afternoon.

"Barcelona have never won the Europa League. It's a challenge, we are going to try and win it."

Meanwhile, Xavi was also asked about Cristiano Ronaldo, with the Portugal international expected to line up against Barcelona, providing that he does not leave Man United during the January transfer window.

The 37-year-old has faced Barcelona on 34 occasions during his professional career, scoring 20 times against them and boasting a record of 10 wins, nine draws and 15 defeats.

"Ronaldo in decline? He seems to me to be a great player, who has marked an era in world football and can still make the difference," he told reporters.

The Portuguese captained Man United against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday but was unable to prevent his side from suffering a 3-1 defeat.

Xavi also offered an update on the fitness of Ronald Araujo, with the centre-back still hoping to be available to represent Uruguay at the 2022 World Cup.

The 23-year-old has been on the sidelines since the September international break, having suffered a thigh injury that required an operation.

However, Xavi has revealed that there is still a chance of the defender featuring in Qatar.

"We are in contact with Uruguay about Araujo and we will decide together. The most important thing is that the player is at 100% and that he recovers well," he added.

Barcelona have one more game before the season breaks for the World Cup, with the team travelling to an in-form Osasuna in La Liga on Tuesday night. body check tags ::