Newly-crowned Spanish champions
Barcelona face Sevilla, fresh from winning
their third consecutive Europa League, as
both seek more glory in the Spanish Cup
final on Sunday.
Another successful campaign for both sides
will end as it began after Barca edged
Sevilla 5-4 after extra-time in a thrilling
season-opening European Super Cup final.
Indeed, Barca could end the season with
four trophies in total having also claimed
the Club World Cup in December.
Barca captain Andres Iniesta laughed off
suggestions that a La Liga and Cup double is
the minimum requirement for the Catalan
giants to ease the pain of their Champions
League exit to Atletico Madrid at the
quarter-final stage last month.
However, the Spanish international did
admit Barca’s success of winning six La Liga
titles and three Copas del Rey in the past
eight years has provoked a relentless
demand for more trophies.
“When you win a league it’s impossible for
it to be a bad season. It will always be a
good season,” Iniesta said on Saturday.
“This team always has the obligation to win
in a final. We fight for all the titles each
season, sometimes we win and other times
we don’t, but the obligation to win is
permanent.
“It is like that in every game we play, so
imagine what it is like in a final.
“The club doesn’t allow errors, dips or not
winning things and this will not change.”
– ‘Sevilla keep winning titles’ –
Sevilla appear to have the significant
disadvantage of having beaten Liverpool in
the Europa League final just five days
before facing Barca at Atletico Madrid’s
Vicente Calderon.
By contrast, Luis Enrique’s men have had a
free week since Luis Suarez’s hat-trick in a
3-0 win at Granada retained their league
title.
Enrique insisted he expects to win, but
warned that Sevilla’s experience in finals
could pose Barca problems.
“I am an optimist, I think we are going to
win,” he said.
“Sevilla have brilliantly won again the
Europa League final and they have the
chance to do the double too which is very
important for a team like Sevilla.
“They keep winning titles. With us they are
one of the teams most used to playing finals
and that will make tomorrow a very
attractive match.”
The action off the field has been dominated
by a political row in the build up as Catalan
separatist flags were initially banned from
the stadium by the Spanish government
before Barca successfully appealed that
decision through the courts.
“Very few things surprise me in this
country,” said Enrique.
“In the end the logical thing has happened
and the freedom of expression for everyone
has been respected.”
All three previous meetings between the
sides this season have been settled by one
goal as Sevilla won 2-1 at home in October
in La Liga before Barca claimed victory by
the same scoreline at the Camp Nou in
February.
“We have their respect because we have
earned it when we’ve faced them,” said
Sevilla coach Unai Emery.
And Emery is keen to pile the pressure on
Barca as favourites despite Sevilla’s
fantastic cup record in the three years since
he took charge.
“They need this title because Barcelona feed
off winning titles, but our strength is our
desire,” he added.
“These moments come around very rarely
for us. How many times have Barca won the
Cup? Loads. We haven’t, but for us to play
in tomorrow’s final is a gift that we will
happily unwrap.”
Barca are expected to name an unchanged
team from the side that started at Granada
with Enrique afforded the luxury of
choosing from a squad free of injuries and
suspensions.
Sevilla are without the suspended Steven
N’Zonzi and Timothee Kolodziejczak, whilst
Benoit Tremoulinas and Michael Krohn-
Dehli remain sidelined by injury.
However, Spanish international goalkeeper
Sergio Rico and captain Jose Antonio Reyes
could return after missing out against
Liverpool in midweek.
