Two clubs chasing the Copa del Rey will do battle today in a match between Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona. The cup final scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET will be held at the Nou Camp in Barcelona and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on ESPN2.
What They're Saying
Barcelona center-back Gerard Pique (via Inside Spanish Football): "For us, La Liga hasn't gone unnoticed as it has for some publications that prefer to put Real Madrid's Euroleague title win on the front cover. We're proud and now comes the Copa del Rey, that's perceived as a minor title, but we consider it as important as the Champions League. It's yet another title in the Museum and here at Barcelona, winning is all we know."
Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano (via Goal): "Athletic is an excellent team and will make it very complicated. Maintaining the culture of Athletic in global football makes them a special club. It's very interesting that, despite the limitations, they continue to be so competitive. They deserve all my gratitude for maintaining the philosophy beyond results."
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Despite a successful spell at center-back, Pique is prone to the inexplicable mistake in defense. In 27 league appearances, the 28-year-old has five goals and an average of 2.2 tackles.
Athletic Bilbao's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Herrerín; Balenziaga, Laporte, Etxeita, Iraola; Jose, Benat; Williams, Aketxe, Rico; Aduriz
Barcelona's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Stegen; Alba, Mathieu, Pique, Alves; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Neymar, Messi, Suarez
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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