Osasuna's Jose Luis Mendilibar insists his side’s victory against Barcelona last season is a ‘good memory’, but it will be ‘completely different’ this time around.
The Pamplona outfit’s tactician was speaking ahead of the visit of the Catalan giants to the Estadio Reyno de Navarra on Sunday.
“The 3-2 victory is a good memory, but nothing more,” he began.
“It will be a completely different game this time around – we have the same team with the exception of a few new signings while Barcelona has a new Coach in [Tito] Vilanova.”
Mendilibar noted that Vilanova has played in ‘a similar style to Pep Guardiola’, having watched both his games against Real Sociedad and Real Madrid.
“They will always be dominant in possession, and will create lots of chances but not all of them will materialise as they play a complicated game.”
“But in the end the fastest team and the one that wants it the most will win,” claimed the 51-year-old.
The Osasuna boss was pleased with his team’s efforts in their 2-0 loss to newly-promoted Deportivo de La Coruna, even if the first quarter of an hour was unlike them.
“Tomorrow we will not have the ball as much as we did against Deportivo, meaning that we will have to be more clinical when the opportunities present themselves.
“Barcelona are always different, it will be hard work and they know that.”
