Motta awaiting Saturday week

Motta awaiting Saturday week

Barça and Espanyol will be meeting twice in the same week, but Motta is aware that the game on Saturday is the most important of the two derbies, with the league title at stake.

Motta was asked what he made of the fact that the city of Barcelona would be witnessing two derbies in a week, and made it clear in his reply that Tuesday’s Copa Catalunya final will be “totally different. That is just one extra game, more for keeping us in our paces, but we are really looking forward to the League match. That will be THE match.”

Warm up

Motta knows all about the rivalry between Barça and Espanyol, and spoke about the latter’s president, Daniel Sánchez Llibre, who was disappointed at the Camp Nou last season to hear Barça fans chanting that they hoped Espanyol would get relegated. “It is the fans that chant these things” said Motta. “The players always respect each other. I think it is important to raise the temperature for games but there are limits, otherwise things happen like they did in Getafe. But it should be a very good game.”

Thinking about Madrid?

“It is important that they (Real Madrid) slip up, but it is more important for us to win, because if they lose, but so do we, then it would all be for nothing” said Motta, when asked how close an eye the players would be keeping on the Madrid result. “Of course we are depending on what they do, but it is more important for us to concentrate on what we have to do ourselves.” Madrid travel to Zaragoza, and that “is a difficult game and they know that because Zaragoza is a very good team and has a good chance. Let’s just wait and see what happens.”

No need for motivation

Motta does not feel his team is lacking in any motivation for the big derby. “It is an important game and it is the last of the season at the Camp Nou in front of our people. We do not have to worry about what other people are saying.”
Motta silent on future
The midfielder did not want to discuss his future at the club, and when pressed to comment on the issue he said “I have not spoken to anybody yet, let’s wait until the end of the competition.” There have also been rumours in the press that Barça are negotiating an exchange with Arsenal, whereby Eto’o will go to London and the French striker would come to the Camp Nou. But Motta did not feel it would be appropriate to comment on that possibility, and merely said that “Eto’o is one of the best strikers in the world.”