Venue: Camp Nou
Kick off: 8:30pm
Spanish football giants, Barcelona will today battle Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final at Camp Nou.
For Barca, it could act as step two on their way to the treble, while Bilbao will be looking to spoil the party in the Catalans’ own back yard.
The odds are stacked against Bilbao going into this match. Not only do they face the might of Barcelona, but the final just happens to be at Camp Nou, where they have not won a match since 2001.
That won’t be the only long-standing drought they will need to break if they are to lift the trophy today, however.
Bilbao have not won the Copa del Rey since their memorable 1983-84 season, when they beat none other than Barcelona in the final to clinch the league and cup double.
With just a solitary Europa League title to their name since then, the thirst for silverware is growing ever greater for Bilbao, but the 39-point gap between these two teams in the final La Liga standings demonstrates just how tough an ask it will be for Ernesto Valverde’s men.
Bilbao ended up seventh in the table, five points adrift of the final Europa League spot, but they had a strong end to the campaign. They were unbeaten in their final seven matches of the season and have lost just four of their last 20 games in all competitions, including an impressive 4-0 triumph over Villarreal on the final day.
Their passage through to this final has not exactly been smooth, though, winning just half of their eight outings. Alcoyana, Celta Vigo, Malaga and Espanyol have all been dispatched on aggregate along the way, however, while Bilbao remain unbeaten on the road in this season’s competition.
Indeed, they won in Barcelona in the second leg of their semi-final, beating Espanyol 2-0 to clinch a 3-1 aggregate triumph that saw them through to a third final in the last six years.
One down, two to go. Barcelona officially lifted the La Liga trophy last weekend to complete the first part of a prospective treble, with the Champions League final to come a week on Saturday.
The front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarezand Neymar took their combined tally for the season to a staggering 117 in the final league match of the campaign, and it would be a surprise if they weren’t to further extend that record in the remaining two matches.
Neymar alone has six goals in five Copa del Rey appearances this season, including two in the 6-2 aggregate semi-final victoryover Villarreal that saw them reach a second consecutive final. In all, Barcelona have won this competition a record 26 times, although only two of those have come in the last 17 years. Both of their most recent triumphs came against Bilbao, though.
Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup: Herrerin; Iraola, Etxeita, Laporte, Balenziaga; Benat, San Jose, Rico, Aketxe, Williams; Aduriz
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Iniesta, Busquets, Rakitic; Messi, Suarez, Neymar