Gabriel Milito says Barcelona is ready for Athletic Bilbao
Barcelona defender Gabriel Milito has revealed that he and his teammates are ready to take on Athletic Bilbao in La Liga this weekend.
The Catalan giants will be heading to the Basque country on a high after picking up three points against Sporting Gijon on Wednesday. Argentina international central defender Milito believes that his side can use that victory to help spur them on against
the Bilbao side, who is sitting in sixth place in the Primera Division standings.
The 30-year-old told Barcelona’s official website that, "We’ll have to be prepared for a very serious match, because we’re up against a very good team. It’s one of the toughest grounds in Spanish football. We’ll have to play the same way we have done in
other games recently, playing seriously and intensely, because we won’t be playing an easy team.”
Barca bounces back
After suffering a shock loss at the hands of league minnows Hercules, Barcelona have bounced back with victories over Gijon and Atletico Madrid in the league, as well as a comprehensive 5-1 win over Panathanaikos in their opening UEFA Champions League group
stage match.
They will be forced to take on Bilbao — who recorded an emphatic 3-0 win over Mallorca on Tuesday — without the talents of talisman Lionel Messi, who is currently nursing an ankle injury.
Meanwhile, Milito took the opportunity to praise his countryman Javier Mascherano for the way he has settled into life at Barcelona.
He said that, “He’s doing well — he has adapted very quickly and is settling in. I don’t think he’ll find it hard to adapt because he’s such a capable footballer. I know how intelligent he is. I know how versatile he is. He’s picking up the concepts (head
coach) Pep Guardiola is explaining to him very well.”
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