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The Basque side lost last season’s rescheduled final to Real Sociedad in late March but have the chance to win one against Barcelona. Koeman’s side will get their second chance of ending the season with guaranteed silverware. The two teams will meet in Saturday’s Copa del Rey final
The Blaugrana are one of the in-form sides in Europe at the moment, and only recently lost their long unbeaten streak in the league. A 2-1 defeat at Real Madrid ended a sixteen-match unbeaten run, which had seen them cut short Atletico Madrid’s lead at the top to just one point.
Koeman’s team beat Athletic Club twice during their remarkable run. They beat their opponents 3-2 away from home first, thanks to a double from Lionel Messi. Three weeks later, Barcelona beat the Basque side 2-1 at home, with Messi again among the goalscorers.
While they have been inconsistent in the league, Athletic Club did go on an unbeaten run all the way to the Copa del Rey Final. Los Leones beat lower division sides UD Ibiza and Alcoyano in the initial rounds before beating fellow La Liga outfit Real Betis. A two-legged tie win in the semi-finals over Levante allowed them to take their place in the cup final for a second consecutive season.
Barcelona’s cup run nearly ended in the semi-finals, as they were beaten 2-0 by Sevilla in the first leg. However, a 3-0 win in the reverse fixture enabled them to progress to the Final. They beat Granada, Rayo Vallecano, and Cornella in the previous rounds.
Key Players
Despite his increasing age, Barcelona’s reliance upon Lionel Messi remains unquestionable. The Argentine’s form was a key reason behind his side’s incredible unbeaten run, which came to an end last weekend. He has scored 29 times this season already and provided 13 assists. Messi has one goal and one assist in this Copa del Rey campaign.
Teenager Pedri continues to impress in his debut season with Barcelona. The Spaniard has looked fit to be a part of the first team from the moment he made his debut for the club. His creativity in the middle of the park has enabled players around him to excel – Messi is one of them.
Inaki Williams: The pacy forward could’ve been wearing the red of Manchester United had things gone differently in the past. However, Williams decided to stay loyal to his boyhood club despite an offer from the Red Devils and will now hope to lead them to glory. Williams will look to add to his 14 goal contributions when his side takes on Barcelona this weekend.
Veteran Raul Garcia has been an important member of the Athletic squad over the past few seasons. The attacker has scored seven times this season, including thrice in five appearances in the cup. His experience will be key for his side as they look to deal with Koeman’s new three-man defensive system for Barcelona.
Prediction
Barcelona were on a remarkable unbeaten run recently, only to be stopped by rivals Real Madrid last weekend. The Blaugrana will surely be hurting from the loss, especially as it puts a dent in their recovered title hopes. A win against Los Blancos would have sent them top of the table. However, they now stand third behind both their rivals with just eight games to go this season.
Koeman’s team will look to use the opportunity this Saturday to end their season with at least some silverware. However, they will have to defeat a side that has already gotten the better of them in one final this season. Psychologically, then, the advantage might lie with Athletic Club.
Despite their exploits in January, when they beat Barcelona 3-2 in the Supercopa final, Athletic are the clear underdogs going into this one. While they do have some talented players in their squad, their squad strength is nowhere near that of Barcelona. Logic dictates that this itself should be enough for the Blaugrana to claim a victory in this one.
