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Barca and Sevilla coaches gear up for Cup final

Xinhua, May 22, 2016 Adjust font size:

FC Barcelona coach Luis Enrique and Unai Emery, his opposite number at Sevilla, both spoke to the press on Saturday before their sides go head to head in the Kings Cup final in the Vicente Calderon Stadium on Sunday.

Barca travel to Madrid as BBVA Primera Liga Champions, while Sevilla won their third successive Europa League title on Wednesday night, which could leave them tired.

Nevertheless Luis Enrique said the morale of winning a European title would help Barca's rivals overcome any possible tiredness.

"They have won the Europa League again and that is enough for them to have the possibility of winning a double," he said, commenting that "whenever you have the chance to win a title, it is easy to motivate players. The players want to win and you don't have to push them."

"Sevilla are a side that has played well against us and they beat us at home in the league and we have worked so they can hurt us as little as possible," added Luis Enrique.

The Barca coach refused to give a mark to his side's season, but he commented that any season in which a club had won the league title as well as the European Supercup and the World Club Championship could not be considered a failure whatever happened on Sunday.

"I am optimistic and think we are going to win, but it is going to be tough," said Luis Enrique.

Emery will be without suspended duo Stephen Nzonzi and Timothee Kolodziejczak, but said losing players at the end of the season was "part of the process, but those who have fallen by the wayside will be cheering us on from the sidelines."

"The rest of the players are tired, but they will be fine on Sunday," assured Emery, who looked back on a long season.

"It was very hard in January when we had to play league and Cup and very few teams are able to do that. We have gone all the way in the Cup and the Europa League and it is not easy, but don't let anyone say we aren't interested in the Cup because we won the Europa League, because we have a tremendous opportunity and we are going to give everything," concluded the Sevilla coach. Endit