Iker Casillas says him and his teammates want to put the icing on the cake by winning the Copa del Rey against Barcelona.
The two teams meet in yet another highly anticipated Clasico match at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium on Wednesday. And Casillas says the players want end a strong showing in this season’s competition by lifting the trophy before refocusing on La Liga and the Champions League.
Before the team departed for the coastal city of Valencia on Tuesday afternoon, Casillas took time to talk to journalists about the match.
He said: “The side have had a great Copa and we want to put the icing on the cake in Valencia. It will be a vibrant game, with great players and we are confident that we can win and in our way of playing. We believe that we can do it.”
Much has been made of the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who misses the match through injury, but the World Cup winning goalkeeper said there is little point in thinking about who can not play.
“It’s not just Ronaldo, but all the players who aren’t available: Jesé, Arbeloa, Marcelo, Cristiano… But it’s not worth thinking about those who can’t play, we must think about those who can and those who the boss thinks are the most suitable and the best team to win the title,” he stated.
Casillas also played down the favourites tag after a dismal week for Barcelona. Los Cules go into the match on the back of defeats to Atletico de Madrid in the Champions League and Granada in La Liga. Moreover, they have somewhat of an injury crisis in defence with Gerard Pique missing, and Marc Batra and Carlos Puyol both doubts.
“Personally I’m not buying into Barcelona’s last week, despite the defeats in La Liga and the Champions League. Things are different for both sides, and anything can happen in a final. We are on a good run and we’re trying to get back into the fight for the league, but that has nothing to do with tomorrow,” the 32-year-old concluded.
Bravooooooooooo