Guardiola: Barca will keep on trying

Barcelona tactician Pep Guardiola has urged his charges to continue grafting and display a sense of calmness ahead of their clash with Rayo Vallecano.

Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Getafe has left the Catalans an imposing six points behind table toppers Real Madrid and Guardiola conceded that chasing a deficit is something his players have not experienced so far in his tenure.

"The players are well, they're people that are calm when things are going well, and when there's a scare along the way or a loss they deal with it well. Yes, it's the first time we're at this kind of disadvantage this far into the season, although I thought this would happen in the second or third year, but we're willing to keep on trying," Guardiola elaborated on the club's official website ahead of their midweek encounter.

"We're going to work hard until the end, we'll try and make the people that love this club proud. The only thing I ask of the players is their effort."

"The challenge must be to behave like a Barça player should everyday, our challenge is continuity."

"I don't know if we'll be champions. Will we try? I'm convinced we will."

Nevertheless, the Barca chief admitted that his side have not stepped up to the plate in the face of renewed vigour and enthusiasm from Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid outfit.

"There have been moments where we have played much better than last year. We've won two titles against two strong teams, we've qualified as group winners in the Champions League with two games to go and we're second in the League," Guardiola said.

"We know that we're at a good level but it's not good enough to be first, up until now Madrid has been better by six points."

"There's a lot of the League still yet to be played and if Madrid maintains their form it will be much more complicated. They haven't won in a while, it's normal that every game is important to them."

Guardiola is expecting a tough encounter from a Rayo Vallecano side who are sitting in a comfortable tenth place in the La Liga standings.

"There are very few teams as bold [as Rayo], let's see if we are capable of playing better than them," concluded Guardiola.