BARCELONA // Pep Guardiola's Barcelona team have a quick chance for revenge after they were eliminated by Sevilla in the Copa Del Rey on Wednesday - the first time the Catalans had been knocked out of a cup competition since the 2008 Champions League semi-final by Manchester United.
Barca beat Sevilla 1-0 and their full strength side dominated the second leg, but went out on away goals following the Andalusians' surprise 2-1 first leg victory at Camp Nou. "In sport we are not taught how to lose and this has affected us," mused Guardiola. The pair meet tonight for the third time in 11 days, this time in the league at Camp Nou with Barca captain Carles Puyol saying: "We're not happy about being knocked out, but we have to use it to make us stronger. Now we have to fight even harder for the league and Champions League."
It is tough at the top and Barca's success burdened them with a travel schedule which drained even their most enthusiastic players. Elimination means that they now have a more agreeable prospect of one game per week until they meet Stuttgart in the Champions League on February 23. "I suppose the good side of the defeat is that we can rest more," added Puyol. "Now we can prepare even better for the league and European games ahead."
Vengeful midfielders Andres Iniesta and Xavi were less sanguine after the defeat in Sevilla. "It makes me very angry because the second half was so one-sided," said Iniesta. "We were much better than Sevilla throughout the tie," added Xavi, who scored his 50th Barca goal in the game from his 505 appearances so far. He was also named the world's best playmaker for 2009 by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics, which he also won in 2008. "We have to go forward now, starting with Sevilla again. There are two titles left and we'll give 100 per cent to win them."
Sevilla have not picked up a point at the Camp Nou since 2003 and will be hoping that goalkeeper Andres Palop can repeat Wednesday's man-of-the-match performance against a Barca side bent on revenge. The champions lead Real Madrid by two points at the top of the Primera Liga, with Manuel Pellegrini's side facing a tough game Athletic Bilbao tonight, a prospect not improved by their in-form 11- goal top scorer Gonzalo Higuain being ruled out for three weeks.
It should mean a start for Karim Benzema, the ?30million (Dh159m) summer signing from Lyon who has struggled at the Bernabeu, though the French striker has shown a more positive attitude recently. When he was confined to the bench earlier in the season he complained that teammates were ignoring him. That was until Zinedine Zidane took him to one side and advised that he had to do more at Madrid. At least Benzema will have the chance, unlike Ruben De La Red who is unlikely to play for Real again. The midfielder has not played since fainting with a heart condition during a game last season.
Tests have been inconclusive and Real want to pay him a disability pension of ?1,500 per month rather than his much larger playing contract, which has two years to run. De La Red was hugely promising and was included in Spain's Euro 2008 squad before his illness struck. @Email:sports@thenational.ae Bilbao v Real Madrid, KO 11pm, Barcelona v Sevilla, KO 1am Sunday Aljazeera Sport + 3
