Enrique relishing Atleti rematch

Luis Enrique hopes Barcelona can draw inspiration from their recent win against Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals.

The Catalans eased to the last eight thanks to a 9-0 aggregate victory over Elche, and the Coach was quick to praise his troops after Thursday's second-leg success, singling out first-team new boys Rafinha and Munir El Haddadi.

“We have many players in the squad and distributed the minutes [fairly] so we're in good shape to face whatever comes our way,” he said.

“We were very complete from the start. I deeply commend the team for their attitude and behaviour.

“Qualifying isn't normally as straightforward. You must have a good attitude, and the players responded marvelously.

“We know that the tie [with Atleti] will be difficult, Atletico are one of the best teams in Europe but we know their attitude and the quality football they play.

“We need to play both legs at a very high level. If we're at our best, we can hurt them, but we don't talk about other teams.

“Rafa's top-drawer and is set to become a key player [here]. He's brimming with confidence but must have more presence in front of goal. Still, he's eager to help the team.

“We've considered the possibility of demoting Munir to the B team and evaluate him each week, but I'm very happy with Munir. He's a young player, began with match and took advantage [of his opportunity].

“He needs more minutes to aid his development. He's an interesting player who always brings things to the table and can bring even more.”

Tags Atleti Barca Luis Enrique Munir El-Haddadi Rafinha
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