Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 9y

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique hopes Atletico Madrid play fair

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique says he hopes his side's Copa del Rey quarterfinal second leg at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday evening to "stay within the sporting rules."

Barca visited the Estadio Vicente Calderon three times during Gerardo Martino's reign last season, drawing in the Supercopa and La Liga, and being beaten 1-0 in the Champions League quarterfinal second leg as Atletico progressed amid a heated atmosphere on and off the pitch.

The teams have met twice this season, both at the Camp Nou, and Barca have won both -- including last week's 1-0 first-leg win -- but the Calderon may make life more difficult.

Luis Enrique told a news conference that he was aware of Atletico's reputation but hoped there would not be excessive aggression.

"I saw all the games from last season, and they have been analysed," Luis Enrique said. "I expect the typical characteristics of Atletico, even more as they are playing at home. I expect a very hard version. I would like the game to stay within the sporting rules. I would like it to be a good spectacle."

With Atletico having eliminated Real Madrid in the previous round, Barcelona would be overwhelming favourites to win the trophy if they were to reach the semifinals.

However, Luis Enrique said: "That view might be held outside the dressing room, but if we think that way ourselves we would be mistaken. Of the three big teams only one will remain, but we cannot get overconfident."

Lionel Messi scored the only goal as Barcelona won the first leg against Atletico.">

Lionel Messi, who was superb in Barca's 3-1 La Liga win over Atletico on Jan. 11 and scored the winner in last week's first leg, looks likely to again be positioned on the right of the front three, with Luis Suarez at centre-forward.

"It changes, and where Leo plays depends a lot on the opponent," Luis Enrique said. "Sometimes we prefer for him to be outside. He brings everything for us, and wherever he plays is the basis of our play."

Atletico's new attacking star Antoine Griezmann has recently started to show the form that persuaded his club to pay 30 million euros to sign him from Real Sociedad in the summer.

The France international told Marca that to turn the tie around, his side must take advantage of a loud Calderon atmosphere, create chances and be "strong."

"With the support of our fans, we will try to go through," he said. "We must create more chances and score. If we did not believe we could turn it around, we would not take to the pitch.

"It will be a tough game, but very nice. We will give everything to go through. We will try to give our best, each one of us, and be strong."

The visitors are close to full-strength for the encounter, with versatile defender Jeremy Mathieu having returned to the match squad after recovering from his recent Achilles tendon issue. The France international is likely to be on the bench, though, with Luis Enrique sticking closely to the more settled lineup that has helped Barca return to top form recently.

Atletico will be without three important players for the game, with centre-back Diego Godin suspended, and midfield duo Koke and Tiago both left out of the squad due to injury.

^ Back to Top ^