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Guardiola Aware Barcelona Face A Stiff Test Against Osasuna

The Barca coach says the hosts will be a difficult team to beat...

Oct 31, 2009 6:05:30 AM

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Pep Guardiola, Barcelona (MARCA)

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Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has warned his players that they can expect a difficult game when they take on Osasuna at the Reyno de Navarra stadium in Pamplona tonight.

The champions managed to secure a win in their last visit here in January thanks to late goals from Xavi and Lionel Messi, which gave them a 3-2 victory and Guardiola knows that this is a tough test for his side ahead of the crucial trip to Russia to take on Rubin Kazan in the UEFA Champions League.

"It's an important game, a difficult test before the game that we have in Russia. It's better that we get into a good dynamic, better for the decisive match against Kazan," Guardiola said at a press conference.

"We're going to a stadium that in itself, historically, is hard and now more so as they {Osasuna] are in their best moment of the season.

"Beating Osasuna will require a lot from us, if we don't disrupt their rhythm they are very difficult to stop. The wingers are very aggressive, {Carlos] Aranda and [Walter] Pandiani are very good, [Javier] Camunas and Juanfran are very direct and we could get hurt."

Paul Madden, Goal.com