Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona: Copa Del Rey Win Will Salvage Disappointing Season

It was not the worst season Barcelona has ever endured…but it certainly was not the greatest either.

After getting off to a promising start with wins in the Spanish Supercup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, the season looked to be heading in a rather exciting direction.

Then La Liga happened. Then the stomach-punching 3-2 loss to Chelsea on aggregate happened. The season took a turn for the worse, but now Barca has a terrific opportunity to end the season on a high-note and capture their first trophy of 2012.

With head coach Pep Guardiola having decided to leave the club at the end of the season, Barcelona must send him out on a positive note. They need to beat Bilbao to enter the offseason with some sort of momentum as they prepare for a summer that will surely be filled with plenty of changes.

And they should, considering Barca is the most successful team in the history of the Copa del Rey, having won the domestic title 25 times. If Guardiola’s team wins, it will be his 14th title in four years at Camp Nou.

While injuries to Carles Puyol, Eric Abidal and Dani Alves are going to hurt, they are still a much more talented team than Bilbao. During league play this season, they defeated Bilbao 2-0 at home and registered a 2-2 tie on the road.  

Bilbao enters today’s matchup on a five-match losing streak without notching a single goal over that stretch.

It seems like the team has shut it down for the season, and the illness of Ander Iturraspe is going to slow down one of their stars. With little to play far, it is hard to see Bilbao matching the effort level that Barca is going to play with.

With Lionel Messi and Alexis Sanchez on their side and a clear motivational advantage, expect Barca to walk away with the win by a comfortable two-goal margin.

Barcelona will send off Guardiola in style. 

Prediction: Barca 3, Bilbao 1

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