Posted by Andy Booth on 01/17/12

Ballon d'Or nominee Xavi recently spoke out about Wednesday's upcoming Copa del Rey match with rivals Real Madrid and claimed that it is Lionel Messi who will make the difference on the night.

Messi has arguably proven himself to be Real's biggest nemesis, often scoring and creating goals against Los Blancos.

Speaking to FCBarcelona.com, Xavi stated, "Leo will always make the difference.

"He's usually a decisive player and he's someone who grows with these games and likes playing in these games."

Xavi also defended rival Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the game, "Strikers do have runs of scoring and sometimes they dry up. It's something a player gets used to - especially goal-scorers."

He then lavished praise on another teammate, the often unsung hero Sergio Busquets, "He should have been in the FifPro World XI. He's an extraordinary player and he rarely makes a mistake either in attack or defense.

"He gives us balance and is key to our system. He's more valued by his fellow professionals than by the media."

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