Atletico de Madrid vs Barcelona preview - Pique is staying grounded

Posted Saturday, May 16, 2015 by PA

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has urged his side to keep their feet on the ground as they chase a trophy treble, the first of which could be sealed this weekend after strike action in the Spanish top flight was averted.

In the next three weeks Barca will have two opportunities to win the Primera Division as well as facing Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final and Juventus in the final of the Champions League.

It is a chance for the Catalan giants to repeat their historic haul from 2009, when they won all six trophies available to them in the calendar year, but Pique knows they cannot afford to get ahead of themselves.

Speaking ahead of Sunday's trip to outgoing champions Atletico Madrid, where a victory would guarantee Barca their 23rd Spanish title, Pique told a press conference: "Looking at the teams that have won the treble gives you an appreciation of how difficult it is.

"There are other teams vying too and the way people are talking it's as if we'd already won the treble, and that's not the case. The finals are against two historic clubs and we still haven't won anything yet.

"We're close but and we have to keep our feet on the ground."

In a quirk of fate, Atletico won last season's championship at the Nou Camp after holding title rivals Barca to a 1-1 draw on the final day - and now the Catalan club can do likewise on Atletico's home ground after strike action in La Liga was called off on Thursday.

Pique insists Barca are not out to avenge last year, though, their thoughts only on sealing the title at the first opportunity and not having to wait until their final match against Deportivo La Coruna.

The Spain international, whose side boast a four-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, said: "We hope to win the league there because it's as soon as possible, not because we want to take revenge."

Barca will go into the match with confidence sky-high having taken 34 from a possible 36 points since their last defeat in La Liga, while this week reaching the Champions League final after overcoming Bayern Munich 5-3 on aggregate.

Their all-star forward line of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez have played a huge part in that success, and Pique admits he cannot recall an attack like it.

"I've never seen a trident like this. We've enjoyed great players, but the quality they have, how they complement each other, the connection they have between them....we're talking about something unique," he said.

Whether the three South Americans can line up together a the Vicente Calderon remains to be seen however, with Suarez struggling with a hamstring problem.

Although they can no longer retain their title, Atletico still have something to play for this season as they try to protect their third place from Valencia, who are four points back.

Rojiblancos goalkeeper Jan Oblak knows it will not be easy to get anything off Barca, but is not throwing in the towel.

He said in AS: "There's no fear, but we know that it's not easy to stop them.

"I'm sure that we can beat any team in the world. We have to play with a lot of intensity, be very focused and do a lot of running, and in the end we'll see what happens."

He added of a top-three finish: "The objective was to be third and we're going to achieve that. If we do get it, the view of the season will be positive."