Tsitaat:
Bravo, Ter Stegen
Alves, Piqué, Mascherano, Mathieu, Bartra, Alba, Adriano
Busquets, Iniesta, Xavi, Rakitic, Rafinha
Messi, Neymar, Suárez, Pedro
Kaasa ei tee: Masip, Montoya, Douglas, S. Roberto tehnilistel põhjustel, Vermaelen vigastuse tõttu.
Tsitaat:
This is a different kind of game, because we’re facing our eternal rivals and our closest rival in the league table, plus getting points in this game stops our rival from getting them. There’s also goal-average to take into account. There are many incentives and this game has a special connotation for all Barcelona fans.”
Tomorrow's game is important but it's not decisive.
There are no clear favorites in games like these. These are two top quality teams with a lot at stake.
Games like this are always special. Although we’ve previously played a Champions League game and we haven’t been able to focus fully on this one, it’s still an exciting and stimulating game, one the fans have been waiting for throughout the season, one to take joy from and we’ll be trying to give them that joy.
I don’t waste any of my time analysing anything other than the football of my rivals. Much of what is said belongs in the press rumour mill and I don’t take any notice of that. They’re the reigning champions of Europe and we have an opportunity to distance ourselves from them in La Liga. We’ll need to be at our best, solid in defence and effective in attack.
I’m expecting us to face the Real Madrid we faced in the first half of the season. A side that gets back well inside their own half of the pitch and breaks forward well in the transitions from defence to attack. They have an infinity of resources at their disposal, can dominate aspects of play and can do that very well.
There’s not one individual aspect that guarantees us being closer to victory, but I’d like us to carry on along the same lines we’ve been following throughout the season, which is to create more chances than our opponents, dominate all areas and control the rhythm of the game.
I’ve had the good fortune to experience many Clásico encounters as a participant. As a manager though, it’s less intense personally. You must manage them in a cold and calculating in way, in order to take important decisions, during decisive moments of the game.
Clearly the balls received by the forwards are the ones that will generate the most chances, so their effectiveness will be important, but without all the other players around them, they won’t be. To beat Real Madrid we’ll need all eleven of our players to do everything well in all areas, remaining a solid block in defence and attack for the whole ninety minutes.
The progress Luis Suárez has been making in the team has been very positive and he still has room to improve, just like everyone in the Team.
He’s one of our most decisive players, with the capacity to score goals and make an important contribution to the team. He gives us lots of solutions and offers good defensive cover that can also he highlighted.
Perhaps at certain times we’ve seen players close to the level of Leo, but what makes him different is how he interprets games, his capacity to read into what’s required in a game, whether that’s laying on an assist, defending, make decisions… beyond his numbers as a scorer.
Busquets isn't 100%. He's not in perfect condition, but he’ll get there.
Mathieu could play? Has the same options as others. He's performing at a high level, one of our great transfers.
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