Tata Martino has warned his Barcelona side are in for a ‘difficult’ encounter when they face Espanyol on Saturday.
The Blaugrana play their city neighbours tomorrow afternoon looking for the three points that could take them to the top of the League.
But the Argentine Coach has insisted that his men have to be at their best to overcome the Periquitos.
“Espanyol are a very similar side to Atlético Madrid. They generate pressure and make every game difficult,” he told a Press conference.
“I expect a complex game. It’ll be tight, with very little space, and that’ll make us uncomfortable.
“I’ll only speak about consistency if the League ends well for us. That is basically what this team needs.
“But things are back in our own hands. And that’s very important because we are playing Atlético in the last game of the season.”
The tactician then commented on Victor Valdes’ injury, that will see him miss the rest of the season.
“This team has overcome many difficulties and this is another one, but we will come out of it even stronger.
“I have spoken to [back-up goalkeeper] Pinto to give him my opinion on tactical matters, and ask whether he’d like to change anything to make sure he feels comfortable.
“If we do things well, we’ll all do things well. And the same goes when we get things wrong.”
