1) Learn from their past mistakes
Athletic will be hoping to rebound from their devastating 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Atletico Madrid in the final of the Europa League two weeks ago, by upsetting the Catalan giants in the final of the Copa del Rey. There's no question as to whether Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa will confront the game in a much different manner, because unlike against Atletico, where Athletic pushed to the attack at every opportunity, leaving big gaps in their defence, this time around they are expected to approach the game in a much more relaxed manner.
According to star striker Fernando Llorente the Basques "need to be more relaxed from the start, not as nervous and as rushed with our passes," in comparison to how they performed in the final of the Europa League in Bucharest.
2) Find the best solution to stop Lionel Messi
If Athletic want to overcome Barcelona, first they must find a way to stop Messi. With 72 goals in all competitions this season, the Argentine has been in astonishing form, and he will be hoping to bring Barcelona's season, and Pep Guardiola's reign to the best possible end. But what is the best way to stop La Pulga? This is a very difficult question, without a clear answer, but it is logical that if his service is cut down, he will likely have significantly less influence on the game.
Due to this, Athletic have to find a way to limit the participation of their midfielders, especially Andres Iniesta and Xavi. Having said this, Messi can score a goal out of nothing, and has sufficient talent to create goal-scoring opportunities on his own. When asked how to stop Messi, Bielsa said: "Messi has solutions for most of the problems you present him with. We have to try and make sure he doesn't find those solutions and that the defenders don't even let him try."
3) Play a counter-attacking game
Despite the fact that they could consider themselves rather fortunate, European champions Chelsea were one of few sides who managed to get the better of Barcelona. While the Londoners came into their Champions League semi-final match-up with the Catalan giants as the clear underdogs, Roberto Di Matteo adopted a very intelligent approach to get past them.
There's no question that Barca dominated both legs in their entirety, but while they pushed forward at every opportunity, in an attempt to score several goals against Chelsea, Di Matteo's men sat back and absorbed heavy pressure, and waited patiently for their opportunity to break on the counter-attack. This strategy accounted for all three of their goals, scored by Didier Drogba, Ramires and Fernando Torres.
Even if Bielsa's side have consistently stuck to their offensive approach throughout the season, which hasn't always worked out, they could be in for an absolute hammering, unless they play a more defensive game this time around. If they were to play the counter-attacking game, they count with a number of players who can burst forward at high speed.
4) Look for a win at all costs
Even if Athletic should resort to a more defensive approach against Barca, it would be a crime not to rate their chances of beating the Catalans. The grand majority of teams that respect Barcelona too much, end up being on the wrong end of humiliating defeats, and if Athletic don't want to be just another one of these sides, they have to confront the game with a winning attitude. Bielsa is a great motivator, and always demands 100% dedication from his troops, but often it is a difficult task to get this message across to his players, especially when they are up against a team of the quality of Barcelona.
What should motivate Athletic is the fact that they came within seconds from beating Barca at San Mames earlier in the season, but ended up settling for a 2-2 draw after conceding an injury-time equaliser from Messi.
5) Bielsa should try to take advantage of Guardiola's emotional farewell
After four years at the helm, where he won an impressive 13 titles, Pep will finally part ways from the club which saw him flourish as both a player and a coach. Most concerned, including defender Gerard Pique, consider his confirmed departure as being "traumatic" and the emotional factor could possibly play into Athletic's hands.
Bielsa has vast experience as a coach, and has led Athletic to two finals appearances this season, and will be hoping to cap off a memorable season by guiding the club to a title. There's no question that, after all that Pep has achieved with Barca, he will receive a standing ovation from fans and players alike, but there's no doubt that Bielsa has planned something to stop Pep, a fond admirer of his, from winning his 14th title with Barcelona.
