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Carles Puyol: La Liga not over yet for Barcelona, but beating Real Madrid will be tough
The Catalans' skipper has admitted that they face a difficult task to leapfrog Real Madrid in the table but is adamant that they are not giving up in the race yet
12 Feb 2012 19:24:00
By Stefan Coerts
Barcelona skipper Carles Puyol says the La Liga title is Real Madrid's to lose following the Catalans' 3-2 loss away against Osasuna on Saturday.
Puyol stressed that it will be very complicated for Barcelona to retain the league title, but added that they are not giving up just yet.
"Clearly we're not happy with the match at Osasuna, but La Liga is not lost yet. We must be realistic and accept that it's complicated, but if this team has anything, it's that we will not give up, and we'll fight to the end," Puyol said at a press conference.
"We will fight for all three competitions, and anyone who thinks otherwise is mistaken. Before, we were in front and we were forced to keep winning win because they were close behind. Now we must try to win, to put pressure on them to do the same
"Although we're dependent on Real Madrid to be able to reduce the distance between them, our objective is to focus on ourselves. We have to try and win, and if we get there, great, and if not, at least we tried."
Barcelona are currently trailing Real Madrid by seven points, with Jose Mourinho's side also having a game in hand.
Starting in November and continuing through to the middle of February, Goal.com is publishing exclusive extracts from Graham Hunter's highly-anticipated new book, 'Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World'. The last extract looked at how Barca suffered rare disappointment at the hands of Real Madrid in a gripping finale to last season's Copa del Rey. Don't miss it!
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Puyol stressed that it will be very complicated for Barcelona to retain the league title, but added that they are not giving up just yet.
"Clearly we're not happy with the match at Osasuna, but La Liga is not lost yet. We must be realistic and accept that it's complicated, but if this team has anything, it's that we will not give up, and we'll fight to the end," Puyol said at a press conference.
"We will fight for all three competitions, and anyone who thinks otherwise is mistaken. Before, we were in front and we were forced to keep winning win because they were close behind. Now we must try to win, to put pressure on them to do the same
"Although we're dependent on Real Madrid to be able to reduce the distance between them, our objective is to focus on ourselves. We have to try and win, and if we get there, great, and if not, at least we tried."
Barcelona are currently trailing Real Madrid by seven points, with Jose Mourinho's side also having a game in hand.
Starting in November and continuing through to the middle of February, Goal.com is publishing exclusive extracts from Graham Hunter's highly-anticipated new book, 'Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World'. The last extract looked at how Barca suffered rare disappointment at the hands of Real Madrid in a gripping finale to last season's Copa del Rey. Don't miss it!
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
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Live!
England 1-0 Belgium, Netherlands 6-0 Northern Ireland - follow all the international action LIVE! ahead of Euro 2012
With countries across the continent gearing up for their final warm-up games ahead of Euro 2012, join us for all the action from Saturday's friendlies. Get in touch with us via Twitter with your reaction.
Hosted by Joe Doyle
Hosted by Joe Doyle
21:38 BST
And it's now 3-1 to Turkey! An own goal from Pepe and we're into time added on. Do people think Portugal will qualify from their group?
21:34 BST
Into the final few minutes with Portugal still 2-1 down to Turkey. Cristiano Ronaldo missed his second ever penalty for Portugal earlier on.
21:12 BST
Elsewhere in Europe, Portugal are currently losing at home to Turkey. Not looking good for them at the Euros!
21:03 BST
As promised, here is the match report on Netherlands 6-0 Northern Ireland.
21:00 BST
And here's more from Roy Hodgson on the injury concerns in the England squad.
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