Guardiola eyes Bernabeu duel
Source: Agencies |
April 11, 2011, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
SPANISH leader Barcelona could effectively wrap up the title by beating arch-rival Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in Madrid this weekend, coach Pep Guardiola said on Saturday.
The La Liga champion came from behind to see off basement side Almeria 3-1 in a nervy display at the Nou Camp where two goals from Lionel Messi ensured its eight-point advantage over Real.
Earlier, Jose Mourinho's team eased to a 3-0 victory at Athletic Bilbao but with seven matches left to play starting with this Saturday's 'clasico', time is running out if the Meringues are to deny Barcelona a hat-trick of La Liga crowns.
"It is a unique opportunity to strike a decisive blow," Guardiola told a news conference. "If we lose (at the Bernabeu) Real will only be five points behind us with six left to play. The league will be very much alive. We need to play this match the same way we did last year or even the year before. They are a team with a great counter-attack, a large squad, many different options and with the ability to play in many different ways."
Saturday's match could be the first of four meetings in 18 days with a Copa del Rey final on April 20 and a strong possibility of the two clubs clashing again in the Champions League semifinals on April 27 and May 3.
Mourinho, in his first year at Real, is seeking to end an impressive run of five consecutive wins by Guardiola in Real vs Barcelona clashes since he took over at the Catalan club in 2008.
Messi, the World Player of the Year, equalized with a penalty and settled the match in the last minute with his 29th league goal of the campaign - one more than Real's Cristiano Ronaldo - after Thiago Alcantara had put Barcelona 2-1 up.
Almeria had taken the lead in the 50th minute when Miguel "Corona" Garcia scored on a counterattack.
Real had put the Catalans under pressure by easing through a match that had been expected to be far tougher, when Brazilian Kaka scored two penalties and set up Ronaldo for a third at sixth-placed Bilbao.
Barcelona moved on to 84 points. Sevilla climbed to fifth on 46 points, one ahead of Bilbao, after Ivan Rakitic scored a 68th-minute equalizer for a 2-2 draw at Real Mallorca.
"Real is going to fight for this league until the end, until it is mathematically impossible because this is the way we have been educated," Real captain Iker Casillas said.
Both sides rested players ahead of their Champions League quarterfinal second legs this week, with Barcelona visiting Shakhtar Donetsk tomorrow with a 5-1 advantage and Real traveling to Tottenham Hotspur with a 4-0 lead.
The La Liga champion came from behind to see off basement side Almeria 3-1 in a nervy display at the Nou Camp where two goals from Lionel Messi ensured its eight-point advantage over Real.
Earlier, Jose Mourinho's team eased to a 3-0 victory at Athletic Bilbao but with seven matches left to play starting with this Saturday's 'clasico', time is running out if the Meringues are to deny Barcelona a hat-trick of La Liga crowns.
"It is a unique opportunity to strike a decisive blow," Guardiola told a news conference. "If we lose (at the Bernabeu) Real will only be five points behind us with six left to play. The league will be very much alive. We need to play this match the same way we did last year or even the year before. They are a team with a great counter-attack, a large squad, many different options and with the ability to play in many different ways."
Saturday's match could be the first of four meetings in 18 days with a Copa del Rey final on April 20 and a strong possibility of the two clubs clashing again in the Champions League semifinals on April 27 and May 3.
Mourinho, in his first year at Real, is seeking to end an impressive run of five consecutive wins by Guardiola in Real vs Barcelona clashes since he took over at the Catalan club in 2008.
Messi, the World Player of the Year, equalized with a penalty and settled the match in the last minute with his 29th league goal of the campaign - one more than Real's Cristiano Ronaldo - after Thiago Alcantara had put Barcelona 2-1 up.
Almeria had taken the lead in the 50th minute when Miguel "Corona" Garcia scored on a counterattack.
Real had put the Catalans under pressure by easing through a match that had been expected to be far tougher, when Brazilian Kaka scored two penalties and set up Ronaldo for a third at sixth-placed Bilbao.
Barcelona moved on to 84 points. Sevilla climbed to fifth on 46 points, one ahead of Bilbao, after Ivan Rakitic scored a 68th-minute equalizer for a 2-2 draw at Real Mallorca.
"Real is going to fight for this league until the end, until it is mathematically impossible because this is the way we have been educated," Real captain Iker Casillas said.
Both sides rested players ahead of their Champions League quarterfinal second legs this week, with Barcelona visiting Shakhtar Donetsk tomorrow with a 5-1 advantage and Real traveling to Tottenham Hotspur with a 4-0 lead.
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