Gerard Piqué was upbeat when he talked to the press after the team’s training session at the Ciutat Esportiva: “If someone told me we’d be here at the beginning of the season, I’d sign on the dotted line. We’ve won the three competitions we’ve played in, we have a fourth final secured, we’re alive in the Liga and we’re about to play in the last 16 in the Champions League. We give it our all every weekend and that’s the most important thing. Count on us at the end of the season ... There’s a lot of Liga left and we’ll give it our all. Other teams will have to win, perhaps the competition will prove a bit too long for them. People need to have confidence in us.”
Piqué called on his team to keep up their form ahead of this weekend’s match and he also said that there is no need for the Barça first team to prove itself: “I don’t think we have to prove ourselves. I believe that we always want to do the best job possible. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t, but the desire is always there.” After a very demanding January schedule, Piqué said: “the load is brutal. You have to be very strong both physically and mentally. We have all participated and we all feel important [within the team]. We feel as though the load is a bit lighter after getting into the Cup final, our schedule isn’t as demanding now.”