Barcelona face Sevilla in the final of the Copa Del Rey at the Vicente Calderon on Sunday in their final game of the season as both teams look to bag their second major trophy of the season.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Saturday, Barcelona manager Luis Enrique insisted that their opponents Sevilla are ‘specialists’ in finals and that they would have to be prepared for any eventuality.
“Sevilla played well against us in the games earlier this season,” said the 46-year-old. “They beat us at their ground, perhaps with a little more luck than normal, but they always pose problem for us.”
According to the official club website, Barcelona will go into tonight’s tie with a full-strength squad. The whole squad of 24 will be taken to Madrid and six of the following will be axed. The players are: Ter Stegen, Bravo, Masip, Douglas, Piqué, Rakitic, Sergio, Alves, Arda Turan, Iniesta, Suárez, Messi, Neymar Jr, Rafinha, Mascherano, Bartra, Munir, Jordi Alba, Sandro, Sergi Roberto, Adriano, Aleix Vidal, Vermaelen and Mathieu.
Night of champions
Enrique insists that the Copa del Rey final is one of the most attractive matches one can play in and that his men have been working well in the weeks leading up to the game. Sevilla recently won their third straight Europa League under Unai Emery, and Enrique reserved special praise for his counterpart, saying “Unai Emery is one of the best managers in European football.”
Barcelona will look to win a domestic double to lessen the pain of missing out on a second consecutive Champions League final. It is sure to be an interesting clash of champions at the Vicente Claderon as the La Liga champions face the Europa League champions for the fourth time this season. It will be Sevillas’s second semi-final in 5 days and Luis Enrique will hope that his side can prevent Sevilla from winning their 10th trophy in 10 years.
