Muniain: “We’ll go out full of confidence”
Muniain: “We’ll go out full of confidence”
The captain is hopeful about Athletic’s chances as he spoke to the media ahead of the Copa final against FC Barcelona
Athletic Club captain Iker Muniain is upbeat about the Lions’ chances of beating FC Barcelona to the Copa del Rey 2020-21 trophy on Saturday night at La Cartuja (21:00 CEST).
The Rojiblancos have won the domestic cup competition 24 times in their history and will look to add a 25th to their honours list.
“We know we didn’t play well in the last final [against Real Sociedad],” Muniain said at a press conference in La Cartuja.
“But we’re going into this game fully motivated and determined to win.
“The team looks great, we’re in good shape after a week of training.
“We’re optimistic and can’t wait for the final.”
The Catalans lost to Real Madrid last Saturday and needed an injury-time winner to defeat Real Valladolid the week before, but Muniain does not believe that will affect their performance on Saturday night.
“It’s true Barça had won a lot of consecutive matches before and that’s difficult for any team to maintain,” Muniain added.
“They tripped up in el Clásico and they beat Valladolid in the final minute, but I don’t think that will have an impact.
“We need to focus on countering their weapons and exploiting our strengths.
“They’re one of the best teams in the world, but we know we can win and we’re confident we can win.”
The captain said the squad wanted to win the Copa for all Athletic fans, stating: “It’s for them that we’d like to win this Copa.
“They know that we miss them a lot and we’re desperate to give them this moment they’ve wanted for so long.”