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Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola feels Valencia star Ever Banega could play key role in Copa del Rey clash
The Catalans giants' head coach has stated his belief that keeping the Argentine quiet is very important, and added that his players are still hungry for success
08-Feb-2012 1:47:00 PM
By Stefan Coerts
Pep Guardiola - Barcelona
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is looking forward to the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final against Valencia, and has singled out playmaker Ever Banega as los Che's main threat in Wednesday's encounter at Camp Nou.
The Blaugrana were held to a 1-1 draw in the away match at Valencia, and Guardiola feels that it's crucial to keep Banega out of the game in the return clash in order to reach the final.
"Banega is a fantastic player. We’ll have to be plugged into the game to render him ineffective," Guardiola said in a press conference.
"If they are behind us, Banega won’t be as big of an issue. If we’re behind them, Banega will be key."
Guardiola then went on to say that Barcelona are still hungry for success, and that they're determined to reach the final of the Copa.
"I know that we’ve won a lot of titles, but these players want to reach another final. The cup final is one of the most beautiful ones. For this reason, the match this Wednesday is key. It’s not everyday that you qualify for a final."
Wednesday's game at Camp Nou kicks off at 21.00CET.
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!
The Blaugrana were held to a 1-1 draw in the away match at Valencia, and Guardiola feels that it's crucial to keep Banega out of the game in the return clash in order to reach the final.
"Banega is a fantastic player. We’ll have to be plugged into the game to render him ineffective," Guardiola said in a press conference.
"If they are behind us, Banega won’t be as big of an issue. If we’re behind them, Banega will be key."
Guardiola then went on to say that Barcelona are still hungry for success, and that they're determined to reach the final of the Copa.
"I know that we’ve won a lot of titles, but these players want to reach another final. The cup final is one of the most beautiful ones. For this reason, the match this Wednesday is key. It’s not everyday that you qualify for a final."
Wednesday's game at Camp Nou kicks off at 21.00CET.
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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