New Delhi: Athletic Bilbao face a tough challenge when they host La Liga leaders Barcelona in San Mamés, with the Catalan giants narrowly ahead in the title race. While Barcelona are competing with Real Madrid at the top of the table, ninth-placed Athletic Bilbao are fighting for a European spot in a tight mid-table table. For Aymeric Laporte, who spoke exclusively to TOI, the clash was both a tactical test and a chance to make a statement for Ernesto Valverde’s side.
The defender expects Athletic to be without the ball for long periods of time against Barcelona’s possession-based style, but insists the team are preparing to treat the game “as a final”. Laporte also spoke about the Basque side’s goals for the season and his personal focus on the upcoming World Cup in Spain.extract:ask. Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona It’s a big game. How was the preparation? What areas are you focusing on as a team?Laporte: Barcelona is a big team. They play top-notch style, so they have a good style – keeping the ball, long periods of time. We will definitely run, but I hope we are ready to do something big in San Mamés. Q: You will start on defense. What is the biggest challenge against a team like Barcelona – one-on-one, at the back, what is it?Laporte: Yes, it’s always a big challenge to face such a big team. We tried our best, and I tried my best. I try to manage the line, the defensive line and the field.Really, we’re rotating like we’re playing against different guys almost every game. But yes, we are trying to resolve everything game by game and we will try to prepare this game as a final.
File photo of fans of Atlético San Mames Stadium. (Getty Images)
Q: It’s been a bit of an up-and-down year for the Athletics. What is the overall goal of the team? Laporte: Our goal is to take it one game at a time. I think that’s the most important thing this season.I would love to or would say be in the top six. But now we are not qualified to talk about the first 6-7 games of La Liga. Step by step, first with Barca and then see if we can win a lot of games. We will try our best to win as many wins as possible and try to find our way to the top of the league.Q: The World Cup will also be held later this year. For you personally, as a player, are there any goals you would like to improve or solidify, either health-wise or playing-wise?Laporte: When you play for a La Liga team and I played for Spain for a few years, that’s certainly in the back of my mind. This is why I returned to Spain. Play the big games during the season, keep up the pace and stay at the highest level. First we will play the final against Argentina and then we will think about the World Cup.Watch: Athletic Bilbao vs Barcelona match will be live on FanCode on March 8 at 1:30am IST.
