Barcelona face Athletic Bilbao this evening in the Copa del Rey final at La Cartuja in Seville. Barcelona trained this morning at the Ciudad Deportiva Luis Del Sol, Real Betis’ training ground, for a gentle activation session. One of the biggest questions being asked ahead of kick-off, as posed by Mundo Deportivo, has been the condition of Gerard Pique, and whether the veteran Catalan defender will be able to start.
The blaugrana squad left their concentration hotel at 10:30, met by a gaggle of supporters. Seville is much more tranquil this evening than it usually would be on the day of the final of the Copa, with covid-19 putting paid to any notion of atmosphere.
During this morning’s training session, Pique underwent a final volley of tests to gauge his fitness for the big game. Koeman in his press conference yesterday acknowledged that he’s fine, but that he’d take the decision of whether he’s going to start him or not today. Pique is said to want to play, but both camps are going to pay close attention to the sensations the centre-back feels in his knee in the hours leading up to the team being named.
Joan Laporta attended the session, delivering a final message of encouragement to the players before the final. The new Barcelona president then ate with his executives in the hotel in Seville, as there couldn’t be an official lunch with their Basque counterparts due to covid-19. On the pitch, another big point of interest regarding Koeman’s selection is whether he’ll revert to a 4-3-3.
