Copa del Rey final preview: Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao

As the curtain closes on another Spanish season, Scott Stewart previews the Copa del Rey clash between two of the competition’s most successful sides

Barcelona are set to lock horns with Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final at Camp Nou on Saturday.

This fixture may not have as extreme a historical significance as maybe an El Clásico or the Madrid derby, but it remains extremely relevant as the Catalans look to continue their quest for the treble while Los Leones attempt to spoil the party.

It is important to note that the La Liga campaign has finished and Barcelona were crowned champions despite a final day 2-2 draw with Deportivo de La Coruña. The Blaugrana had won 12 out of their last 14 matches to eventually hold off rivals Real Madrid by two points, and are now on course to win the treble with the La Liga title already under their belt.

Athletic Bilbao did not enjoy as much success in the Primera División, finishing in 7^th place and missing out on European competition for the next season. Although the club did not finish where they may have liked, support for the team on Saturday remains as an expected 50,000 Basques will invade Catalonia, including around 12,000 who don’t even have a ticket, per ESPN FC.

Saturday’s meeting brings together two of the most successful sides in the competition’s illustrious 112 year history, with Barcelona having won the title on 26 occasions and Bilbao on 23.

To get to this point, Bilbao triumphed over Espanyol 2-0 to finish with a 3-1 aggregate victory in the two-legged semi-final, while Barcelona comprehensively defeated Villarreal with a 6-2 aggregate win.

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For the Blaugrana, it is expected that talisman Luis Suarez will be available after extra preparation over the last two weeks to ensure his availability. This season alone, the trio of Suarez, Neymar, and Lionel Messi have scored over 100 goals and tallied over 40 assists in all competitions, a remarkable feat for any club as a whole let alone three players.

Additionally, Thomas Vermaelen is expected to be available after suffering and injury-plagued season, with the Belgian only having just made his debut last week against Deportivo.

Bilbao, however, will be missing key players the likes of Ander Iturraspe, Iker Muniain, and Oscar de Marcos, much to the chagrin of manager Ernesto Valverde, leaving the impressive but young striker Aritz Aduriz to lead the line.

In addition, the final will be played, albeit controversially, at the Nou Camp where they have been win-less since 2001.

A less talked about aspect of this weekend’s final is the fact that objections against Spain and the national anthem have occurred in the past and may very well occur again. The Catalan and Basque nationalists have wanted independence and therefore it seems likely that the national anthem will be met with whistles and boos as a sign of protest.

In 2009, the two met in the Copa del Rey final and during the playing of the Spanish national anthem, the two teams booed so loudly that Spanish TV cut away during the playing of the anthem only to show it during halftime after editing the boos out. Barcelona were 4-1 winners on that day, despite the events during pre-match.

In 2012, the last time Barcelona won this trophy, supporters from both sides again protested during the national anthem. The Blaugrana were winners once more, this time by a score of 3-0.

Prior to the final on Saturday, Spain’s secretary of sport has called for the two clubs to remain respectful and has even threatened to fine both should they whistle throughout, per ESPN FC.

Despite the turmoil surrounding the pre-match events, the final will be extremely competitive if nothing else as this fixture is Bilbao’s only chance to come away with a trophy this year. Barcelona will want a victory to help their quest for treble, but will also look to head into the Champions League final with more silverware under their belts.