Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona: Messi And Barca On A Mission, Bilbao To Roll The Dice
Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona: Back in the first leg
Playing at home is usually a great advantage for FC Barcelona, who then profit from cheers from thousands of fans in their arena. They were nonetheless unable to produce much on December 21 against Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their Copa del Rey’s Round of 16 match.
Barca first imposed themselves, trying to fire instantly as always—but the Basques kept their defensive line tight. The hosts were also unlucky to have the majority of their efforts stopped by the goalkeeper Iraizoz. In the second half, the FIFA Ballon d’Or award contender Lionel Messi was introduced in the game, but not even his inclusion could drive the Spanish La Liga leaders to victory against Bilbao.
Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona: Lionel Messi’s Moment
At the weekend, Pep Guardiola made what looked like a wise decision to rest Lionel Messi, with eyes on the ultimate Copa del Rey challenge. Barcelona still got the needed 3 points against Levante to keep Real Madrid behind in the table, subsequent to a double from Pedro Rodriguez.
Soon, it will be Messi’s special moment to hold sway over is side’s stressful condition, and give out all he can. If necessary, he will have to hand over the performance of his career.
Messi has repeatedly emerged as the golden key of the Catalans this season, but his impetus could be greatly shattered if ever he failed to be industrious in the moment where it matters the most. Thinking of intimidating Athletic Bilbao is certainly the last thing the Argentine ace would want to do, since it is the Basques who currently have the advantage, following their resistance at the Camp Nou late last year.
Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona: Barcelona’s Determination
Last year, on January 13 at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, Barcelona were eliminated from the Copa del Rey in the Round of 16 on away goals. The then-defending champions had lost 2-1 at the Camp Nou earlier on in the first leg—consequently making their 1-0 victory in the return leg insufficient. This defeat which ended the Blaugrana’s hopes of retaining their treble record left deep bitterness in the hearts of Pep’s players—and this season, they would not want to make the same mistake at this very stage of the Spanish Cup.
Barcelona have already expressed their insuperable determination to get the job done—this time, against Athletic Bilbao at the San Mames—but midfielder Sergio Busquets saw absolutely no problem in reaffirming his club’s sole objective. Speaking to the press ahead of the importance of this evening’s match, he said:
"There's no margin of error in this game. We’re going to a ground where they live and breathe football, and the fans will be behind their team for the whole 90 minutes.
"I hope that (Athletic) Bilbao aren't as defensive as they were at the Nou Camp. It is a key game for us to be able to continue playing every three days or so, which suits us.
“Last year, when we went out to Sevilla, the weeks seemed much longer. We’re used to playing every three or four days, and it helps us maintain the dynamic of our season.”
Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona: A Time For Bilbao To Roll The Dice
“We should go out to score a goal, but without losing our composure…” This is the personal opinion of Athletic Bilbao’s Gaizka Toquero. Surely there, the player is making reference to his side’s 4-1 humiliation back in the 2009 Copa del Rey final, where he snatched the opener for the Basques.
Toquero continued: “We have to go out with a lot of intensity, with a lot of pressure… and hope they don’t have their day”.
So apparently, both teams somehow base themselves on hopes so as to succeed. Actually, the most important part in both clubs’ respective and similar tasks today is the realization of useful plans.
There have been times when Bilbao’s defense was exposed to open danger, but there have also been times when their back has seem unbeatable—more or less luckily. Barcelona are aware that their Round of 16 second-leg match in the Copa del Rey could end with no goals for them, and this is why Coach Pep Guardiola wants to make the most out of his most harmful weapons.
Well, on Bilbao’s side, keeping a clean sheet for the whole 90 minutes will be a great bonus—in view of the fact that a single goal for them would eventually send them through the quarterfinals. Conceding, however, could speedily cause them to lose their upper hand to Barcelona—since they would be in danger of being disqualified on away goals.
Now, the situation seems quite clear, and what remains is taking control over it. If Bilbao triumph tonight—no matter how they do it—they will be emulating Sevilla’s attainment, and thus giving themselves great chances of winning the trophy at last in months to come. After all, the present title holders of the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League both knocked out Barcelona on their way to glory, and the 2009/10 editions of these competitions marked the only times in which the Catalans got disqualified from contests under Pep Guardiola.
It might just be a matter of coincidence, though. Whatever it is, getting the victory tonight will significantly change the status of the Athletic Bilbao club, who is currently the second most successful side in the history of the Copa del Rey behind Los Cules.
More info: Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona’s Selections
Athletic Bilbao: Iraizoz, San José, Toquero, Orbaiz, David López, Javi Martínez, Ustaritz, Gurpegi, Llorente, Koikili, Gabilondo, De Marcos, Susaeta, Iraola, Raúl, Muniain, Ocio, Iturraspe and Ekiza.
Barcelona: Valdés, Pinto, Alves, Adriano, Puyol, Piqué, Milito, Abidal, Busquets, Mascherano, Thiago, Xavi, Iniesta, Keita, Afellay, Jeffren, Bojan, Messi, Villa and Pedro.
Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona
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