Athletic Bilbao have an uphill task in the final of Spanish domestic knockout cup competition as they take on the mighty Barcelona at the http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Vicente-c36001 Calderon on May 25.
Los Leones failed in the grandest stage as they were undone in the UEFA Europa League final at the hands of Atletico Madrid. The Basque entity has the chance of making up for their shortcoming in Europe in the form of Copa del Rey triumph.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Marcelo-c23554 Bielsa motivating his players for the enticing battle.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Iker-Muniain-c16816 took out time to talk about the situation in the dressing room, claiming that the players have rallied behind the Argentine coach’s war cry.
He revealed that Bielsa has asked the players to be Basque warriors on the pitch and give their all on the pitch. He added that Los Leones are motivated for the fixture like their manager and will fight for honours on the ground.
"He told us that he wants eleven warriors who give their all on the pitch, for us to be excited, like he is, and to just go for it."
Bilbao’s showing in UEFA Europa League final gave clear signals of fatigue, a fact the Spaniard admitting in his meeting with the press representative. Muniain stated that Bielsa is trying to uplift the team’s morale by employing different tactics.
"Bielsa knows that the team was physically and mentally drained after the Bucharest final and he has tried to lift our spirits in many ways.”
The 19-year-old attacker also took out time to talk about their agonizing 3-0 Europa League final defeat, and claimed that it was heartbreaking for him and the rest of the squad.
He stated that the dressing room was a gloomy place to be for some time before regrouping for their final appearance of the season against Barcelona.
Muniain reckoned that the Basque club cannot rue what has happened in the past and are looking to the future with optimism.
“The final was a hard pill to swallow for all of us. We were downcast for a few days, thoughtful, but we can't waste any more time. That's now in the past and we have to think about the future.”
“We're greatly looking forward to the cup final and we hope we'll be able to celebrate a victory with our fans, who deserve it after waiting for such a long time".
The Copa del Rey final is scheduled to kick off at 19 00 hours CET.
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