Josep Guardiola accepts that the Cup Final is very special for Bilbao, but insists that his Barca team are also motivated to win the competition they last conquered 11 years ago.
Guardiola stressed the importance of the game in Valencia and whilst he accepted that Bilbao had
been able to concentrate wholly on the game for the last few weeks he reminded reporters. “if
it’s important to them because they haven’t won it for 25 years, then it is to us too
– we’ve not been in a Cup Final and won it for 11”.
Both teams up for the game
Although Guardiola admitted he would have preferred to have
wrapped up the league title at the weekend, he explained: “we’ve been very excited over
the last few hectic weeks and a win on Sunday would have released some of that, but now we’re
playing in a big Cup Final and we have to try and be at the level we need to be”.
The boss denied that it was Bilbao who were giving the game most importance: “we want
to win it as much as they do and we’ll be trying as much as them,” adding with a wry
smile, “even if we are travelling down on the day of the game”.
“If we’d not been playing so many games of late I’m sure we would have
travelled down earlier, but we are playing late (22.00) and so I prefer to do as we’ve done
throughout the league season and let the players sleep at home the night before”.
”An even final”
Guardiola is expecting, “a very even final, I’m
sure it will be an intense game. We have to avoid giving away free kicks near our box, which
Llorente will try and provoke and also to avoid a physical contest”. Guardiola’s not
worried about his players’ protection though, claiming: “ “Medina Cantalejo (the
match ref) is a good referee and he’ll do his job”.
To view this content you need the latest version of the Flash Player
Team news – not yet
Guardiola won’t make his team public till tomorrow, but he told reporters: “all the
squad deserve to play. I know what team I’ll put out, but I’m not going to let it out
till match day. If we win, the same as if we win the league, it’ll be a squad effort. You
know, I think even I deserve to get on and play for a while!”, he joked.