5 factors that will decide the Copa del Rey final between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao

Messi

Camp Nou offers Blaugrana extra advantage

Camp Nou

Some will say it’s an unfair edge to possess going into such a big match-up, but it’s hard to blame Barcelona for it.

As relayed by ESPN’s Francesc Tomas, both finalists would have preferred to play in the Santiago Bernabeu or another neutral venue but Los Blancos refused to be a party to any resolution. That said, fans of the beautiful game will be glad to see such a high-stakes game played in such unique surroundings.

Delving deeper into the statistics, the gulf in class becomes even more apparent because in four Copa del Rey home matches so far this season, Barca have only conceded two goals, scoring a whopping 17 along the way, so their fortress has retained its impregnable security whilst also not compromising on their unique offensive flair.

Of course, Bilbao have not won the tournament since 1984 so they are up against it in that regard, and when you consider that the majority of the cup goals scored by Enrique’s men have come with the raucous support of the Camp Nou faithful cheering them on, the Basque outfit face an even more uphill battle than they would have liked.


Bilbao will need self-belief to defend – and attack

Valverde Bilbao

As obvious as it might sound, Bilbao need to stop Barcelona from scoring if they are to have any chance of nabbing a shock result.

Impeding the likes of Messi, Suarez and Neymar is imperative to their potential success – but they will also have to ensure they work hard at the back to not just stop them, but to frustrate them, too.

Everyone knows Barcelona are going to create opportunities; they always do. They possess players who can score from anywhere on the park and are not afraid to take on defenders with some frighteningly inventive, fast-paced play that can take on a life of its own at times.

However, there is some hope for the longshots to pull a result out of the bag.

Looking at their last three losses (the Bayern Munich result not included) the Blaugrana have failed to score against a trio of industrious defences. Looking at the way Barca slumped to defeat against Malaga, Real Sociedad and Celta de Vigo, twice they conceded early goals due to misfortune while the latter defeat came about as result of a goal netted by Joaquin Larrivey.

Ideally, the team who finished seventh domestically in the league table will need to learn from those results by pressurizing the likes of Dani Alves, Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano into making mistakes early on and take whatever chances come their way in an extremely clinical fashion.

If Aritz Aduriz can sneak a valuable goal to cap off an impressive season that saw him finish as the top home-grown scorer in the league with 18 goals, as outlined by ESPN’s Dermot Corrigan, they might (and that’s a big ‘might’) just have a slim chance of causing a shock.


Suarez return might reunite ‘MSN’

Suarez Messi Neymar

Forming the most formidable attacking trio in European football, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar Jr. have torn apart almost every defence they have played against this season. Striking fear into the hearts of their opponents, it has been a delight for neutrals to watch their famous attacking trident work their magic from week to week.

Fluidity has been the key to their seemingly telepathic prowess as they have continually synchronized together with devastating effects up front. In fact, the partnership dubbed ‘MSN’ by admirers has already surpassed the 100-goal mark.

Between them they now have a staggering 117 goals to show for their efforts across all competitions this season with Messi grabbing three more ever since they eased past Bayern Munich on an aggregate score of 5-3 in the Champions League semi-finals.

Suarez trained separately from the rest of the squad in the team’s last training session. Despite doubts over his full return to fitness, it’s possible the free-scoring Uruguayan will make an appearance to reunite the deadly triumvirate – something that certainly doesn’t bode well for the Bilbao back-line.

With two goals and two assists from five cup appearances, the ex-Liverpool star might not top the scoring charts in this competition, but he has been pivotal to their success and will certainly strengthen their chances if he’s on the pitch, teaming up with the rest of his South American companions in typically breath-taking harmony.

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Edited by Staff Editor