Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti sees that Barcelona has “improved a lot” under the managerial reign of Xavi Hernandez.

During his pre-match press conference ahead of the upcoming El Clasico clash, Ancelotti took some time to laud Barca’s turnaround as of late, where he touched on the team’s style of play under the Spanish manager.

“Barcelona's identity never changes, they have a very clear style of play,” Ancelotti said. “Xavi embodies this style very well, he is doing very well, the team has improved a lot and is in a good dynamic. It's a complete team that plays very well. My opinion is that they are doing very well.”

Barca has conducted play under a possession-based system under Xavi over the past months, although he has provided his midfielders with the freedom to push up play while in the final third and has also strengthened the side’s counter-attacking efficiency.

Much has changed for Barca since it faced Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semifinals earlier in the campaign. The Catalan side has strung together potent performances in La Liga play and also now sits at fourth place in the standings. More so, it is currently in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League competition.

Barca has gone six straight matches without a win against Real Madrid, so there sure is plenty of urgency for Xavi to lead the side to a possible season-defining victory over Los Blancos at the Santiago Bernabeu tomorrow.