Luis Enrique’s side are looking to seal progression to the last 8 of the Copa del Rey at the Camp Nou following the 2-1 defeat in the first leg, Barça are aiming for a return to winning ways.
FC Barcelona are aiming to book their place in the last 8 of the Copa del Rey when they take on Hércules at the Camp Nou, following the 1-1 draw in the first leg.
FC Barcelona face Athletic Club in a crunch cup tie on Wednesday night. After the 2-1 reverse at San Mamés , nothing but a win will do in the second leg at the Camp Nou. They’ll also need to be careful at the back. If the Basques score, then Barça will need to win by two goals if they want to be sure of a place in the quarter finals.
To work out how likely Barça are to qualify, then there is absolutely no shortage of previous
encounters to judge things by. With Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup matches in addition to annual Liga fixtures, the two teams have met at the Camp Nou a massive 1times in the last decade.
Eleven of the results of those games would have been enough to turn around the 2-1 deficit that Barça take into Wednesday’s game.
These include some massive wins like the 6-0 in the league just last season, the 5-1 victory in 2012/13 and a 4-1 in 2009/10. Of the four remaining matches, there have been two that ended 2-1, which would still be enough to take the game into a replay and possibly penalties.
Barça have not lost at home to Athletic in the last decade, but the 0-0 draw in the Copa del Rey of 2010/11 and the 1-1 draw in the Spanish Super Cup last year would be of no use to Luis Enrique should they be repeated this time.
COACH VIEW POINT
FC Barcelona manager Luis Enrique calls on Camp Nou support to make the difference Speaking ahead of the cup second leg with Athletic, the first team manager insists his team needs to make home advantage count, and that’s where the fans come in Luis Enrique speaking to the press on Tuesday.
There is a 2-1 deficit to turn around, and the Barça coach called on the fans to once again do their bit to push the team through a difficult challenge.
“We must make the Camp Nou a decisive factor,” he said. “The fans’ support is vital and I hope they come in huge numbers to give us the backing we
need.”
"Athletic will put us under pressure. Tomorrow there will be an important home advantage and I hope for a full Camp Nou"
“We’re going into the game a goal down, but the fact that we scored in the first leg has given us
the confidence we need to get through the tie.”
“It will be difficult because of the way Athletic play and what this match means to them.”
“Football is a sport in which a team that generates very little in the way of chances can end up winning the game. But that doesn’t mean that we won’t be trying to improve on our first leg
performance.”
“Athletic will bring the pressure up the field for sure because that’s what they do.”
“I think the position of the Club and the coach, which is me, is beyond reproach.”
“I consider fan support to be vital. There has to be a certain level of pressure created in the atmosphere and I am convinced we’ll see an attendance in keeping with the level of this tournament. If we score a goal we’ll be ahead on aggregate and Athletic will have to take risks. That will make the game and the tournament all the more attractive.
“We have to be very effective, very precise, and improve our percentage of getting out with the ball and beating their pressure. When we beat it, we were able to find space behind their defence and create scoring chances.”
"The scoreline makes it a very attractive second leg. I am sure that the fans will get fully behind us"
FC Barcelona XI vs ATHLETIC BILBAO
“We’re going into the game a goal down, but the fact that we scored in the first leg has given us
the confidence we need to get through the tie.”
“It will be difficult because of the way Athletic play and what this match means to them.”
“Football is a sport in which a team that generates very little in the way of chances can end up winning the game. But that doesn’t mean that we won’t be trying to improve on our first leg
performance.”
“Athletic will bring the pressure up the field for sure because that’s what they do.”
“I think the position of the Club and the coach, which is me, is beyond reproach.”
“I consider fan support to be vital. There has to be a certain level of pressure created in the atmosphere and I am convinced we’ll see an attendance in keeping with the level of this tournament. If we score a goal we’ll be ahead on aggregate and Athletic will have to take risks. That will make the game and the tournament all the more attractive.
“We have to be very effective, very precise, and improve our percentage of getting out with the ball and beating their pressure. When we beat it, we were able to find space behind their defence and create scoring chances.”
"The scoreline makes it a very attractive second leg. I am sure that the fans will get fully behind us"
FC Barcelona XI vs ATHLETIC BILBAO
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