Athletic Bilbao v Barcelona
The final game of the Spanish La Liga season sees Barcelona take-on Athletic Bilbao in the 108th Copa del Rey final on Friday evening at the Vincente Calderon Stadium, home of Atletico Madrid.
Both sides will be looking to end their season on a positive note after suffering disappointments both domestically and in Europe. Barcelona finished the league second to rivals Real Madrid and were knocked out the UEFA Champions League at the semi-final stage by eventual winners Chelsea. Bilbao never really got going in the league finishing 10th but did have some success in the UEFA Europa League, only to lose out in the final against Atletico Madrid. Barca have another reason to want this trophy even more as it will be Pep Guardiola’s last official game as head coach before he steps aside for his assistant Tito Vilanova to take charge next season.
Bilbao and Barcelona are the two sides with the most cup wins. Barca have won the Copa del Rey an incredible 25 times in the club’s history while Bilbao have taken home the cup 23 times.
Athletic Bilbao winger Markel Susaeta believes that the 3-0 loss against Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final has made the side stronger and they will come into this match more confident after taking a lot from that final. Bilbao ended their league season on a poor note having not won a match from their last 4 fixtures, losing 3. After failing to finish in the top six, this is Bilbao’s last chance of qualifying for European football that they so desperately want. Bilbao were able to cruise to the final of the Copa del Rey with Mallorca being the only top-flight team they encountered along the way. Spanish third division side Mirandes did put up a fight in the first leg of the semi-final. Bilbao could only muster a 2-1 victory away from home, but won comfortably in the second leg recording a 6-2 victory.
This was the first trophy Barcelona won under Guardiola and looks set to be their final honour under him as he leads the Catalan club for the last time. The Catalans have not played an official game since the 2-2 La Liga draw against Betis on May 12, but former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has said he is confident that Barca will be physically and mentally prepared, although he expects a difficult encounter versus the Basque side. “We’re prepared and ready for the final. It’s not normal to wait so long to play a final but our eagerness and excitement to play has helped us overcome the wait. I’m sure they are not any more motivated than we are. Our hunger for victory and our excitement hasn’t run out,” Fabregas was quoted as saying on the club’s official website. Barca will have to deal with the absence of three key defenders in Dani Alves, Carles Puyol and Eric Abidal. However, Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano, Adriano and Martin Montoya have enough quality to maintain what was the best defence in the league as Barca conceded just 29 goals in 38 matches.
It’s set to be an exciting final as Bilbao’s style is also considered to be similar to that of Barca’s as they hold nothing back, attacking and pressing teams with stylish play. Barcelona are tipped to give Pep Guardiola the sending off he deserves.
