Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has acknowledged Atletico Madrid will be tough opponents ahead of Wednesday’s quarter-final Copa del Rey clash.
However, the Asturian believes the Catalans may have a slight advantage in that the first leg is on home turf, although he concedes the recent La Liga meeting between the two clubs, which Barca won 3-1, will have no bearing on the Cup game.
“Atleti are difficult opponents and being a two-legged tie it gives us a chance to see what happens in the first game and put things into practice for the second leg,” Enrique told a Press conference.
“They are very strong at the back and also in attack, so I’m expecting a game similar to the recent ones, while the League win will have nothing to do with this tie, but it’s a good psychological advantage.”
Enrique revealed that Xavi Hernandez should be fit to face Diego Simeone’s men, while Jeremy Mathieu trained apart from the first-team squad on Tuesday and is unlikely to figure.
