Osasuna defender Marc Bertran says that this weekend he is banking on the form his team usually shows against the big boys at El Sadar.
Los Rojillos take on Barcelona this Saturday and Bertran believes they can again make life tough for Tata Martino’s men.
“We know Barca are probably the best team in the world, or one of the best, but we also know that here in Pamplona we can make it difficult for them as we have done in recent years, or certainly the last two,” he told a Press conference.
“In these games against the big sides it seems that we have little to lose, but now with Javi Gracia as Coach we study each opponent so we can do better in every game.
“Barcelona is a huge club that has great players and a great team, yet I feel that if we play well then we can stand up to them.”
Bertran insists that the possible return to action of Barca defender Carles Puyol, who was born in the same town as the Osasuna player, is a great joy for him.
“Puyol is unique and virtually irreplaceable,” he said, before acknowledging the improvement made by the Navarre club since Gracia replaced Jose Luis Mendilibar.
“We played a good match against Malaga and have been improving over the past few weeks.
“With the new boss we try to play the ball out from the back more and give the full-backs more licence to go forward, which is good for the team,” added Bertran.
