Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola was relieved to see his side beat Xerez 3-1 on Saturday evening and admitted his players had been distracted in the build-up by thoughts of Wednesday night's Champions League semi-final second leg against Inter Milan.
Guardiola watched on nervously as the champions struggled to cling onto their 2-1 lead early in the second half against the Primera Division's bottom team.
Jeffren Suarez and Thierry Henry had fired Barca into a 2-0 lead, before Mario Bermejo's strike gave the visitors hope.
But calm was restored with the hosts' decisive third goal, scored by Zlatan Ibrahimovic after 55 minutes, which ended Xerez's hopes of an improbable point at the Nou Camp.
Guardiola was happy to have negotiated this match ahead of Wednesday's home clash against Jose Mourinho's Inter.
"It was a dangerous game because however much you prepare tactically, your mind is on last Tuesday's match (3-1 defeat the San Siro) - and the one we will play on Wednesday against Inter," he said.
"I had a lot of respect for this game because I played a lot of these as a player and I know how hard they are.
"Today we played thinking about Inter and it was inevitable because it's just so important for us.
"Now we have five games left, or six (depending on passage to the Champions League final), and we need one last push."
And Guardiola claims the players remain as hungry as ever, despite winning everything in their grasp in 2009.
"We have come from winning six titles and there is a sensation that if we don't win the double (league and Champions League) this season, we won't have achieved anything," he said.
"Wednesday's game is unique - for Inter we will have to bring out the pure essence of our football. We will need Barca at our highest level."
Barca technical secretary Txiki Begiristain is convinced the Catalans will overcome their 3-1 deficit to reach their second successive Champions League final.
"The team has already demonstrated its capacity to score two, three or four goals - I'm absolutely convinced we will go through," he said.
A 2-0 scoreline - which Barca achieved at home to Inter in the group stages - would see Guardiola's side advance to the final in Madrid, and Begiristain believes such a result may well come to fruition.
"A 2-0 against Inter is feasible. It's possible because this team always goes out with a positive attitude and has the ability to generate many chances," he said.
And the former Barca player was also full of praise for Guardiola.
"He has shown his ability in several competitions and that's why he is a champion," he said.
