Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona have named their starting lineups for this evening’s Copa del Rey final at La Cartuja in Seville. The game is a massive occasion between two of the biggest clubs in Spain, but will unfortunately not be graced by either side’s passionate support due to covid-19 restrictions. Despite the lack of public, it’s a crucial game for both clubs and for both coaches, Athletic’s Marcelino and Barcelona’s Ronald Koeman, both of whom have lifted the Copa for Valencia in the past.
ALINEACIÓN I El 1⃣1⃣ del #AthleticClub para la final de Copa ante el @FCBarcelona 🏆#AthleticBarça #BiziAmetsa 💭 pic.twitter.com/649WRjMcWa
— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) April 17, 2021
Koeman knows that a season without a trophy will make his life more difficult, and is said to be completely focused on bringing home the trophy from Seville. Joan Laporta has given Koeman his full confidence, but the Dutchman knows the intensity of expectation that falls upon the man in charge at Camp Nou and how quickly narratives can change.
For that, there’s so much riding on this final, especially after he’s overseen big-moment failures in the Supercopa de Espana against Athletic, the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain and La Liga against Real Madrid. The word from behind the scenes is that he’s working with a special intensity, cogniscent that this is the opportunity of his career.
Barça XI
Copa del Rey final#ForçaBarça 💪🔵🔴 pic.twitter.com/LSlEonKCCC— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 17, 2021
Standing before him this evening is an Athletic team that aren’t living their best moment. They’ve scored just twice in the last five games, and haven’t won in six. Marcelino will be keen to put right the wrongs of a fortnight ago, when his Athletic team put up a flaccid performance in a historic final against their greatest rivals, Real Sociedad. If they could pair a Copa with their Supercopa from earlier this season, the campaign would be a phenomenal success.
What’s Griezmann doing in the squad? That’s short one for Barcelona