5 reasons why Barcelona need to win the Copa del Rey this season (2020-21)
This weekend, Barcelona face Athletic Bilbao in Seville in the final of the 2020-21 Copa del Rey.
With 30 wins, Barcelona are the most successful club in the history of the competition, while the Basque outfit are right behind the Blaugrana with 23 wins.
The clubs last met in the 2014-15 Copa Del Rey final. Barcelona won that game 3-1, with Lionel Messi scoring one of the greatest goals of all time.
A lot is at stake for both clubs this time. Athletic Bilbao find themselves in the unusual situation of playing two Copa finals in as many weeks because last year's title match had to be postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They lost their first final to Real Sociedad, so Bilbao could be desperate to make their second opportunity count.
Five reasons why Barcelona need to win the 2020-21 Copa Del Rey final:
Barcelona are smarting from a 2-1 loss in the El Clasico to Real Madrid and will look to return to winning ways.
The Blaugrana will have revenge on their mind, as Athletic Bilbao beat them in the Spanish Super Cup final in January. In fact, this match is a must-win for Barcelona for a few other reasons as well.
On that note, let's have a look at five of them.
#1 Only realistic chance of silverware
After a 19-match unbeaten run that took them from a 14-point deficit to just one behind league leaders Atletico Madrid, Barcelona looked favourites to win the La Liga.
But the loss in the El Clasico dented Barcelona's title hopes. Both the Madrid clubs are now ahead of them in what has been an intriguing title race. Meanwhile, Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League in the Round of 16 by PSG.
Earlier this season, Ronald Koeman admitted that the Copa Del Rey is Barcelona's best shot at winning silverware this season. He said in this regard:
"As long as the league is possible, we'll keep trying. The Copa del Rey is shorter; there are fewer games; we are in it to win, and that's what I want to see my team do".
A trophy at this stage of the season might rejuvenate the Blaugrana's title charge in the league as well.
#2 Indicator of progress
When Barcelona lost 2-8 to eventual champions Bayern Munich in the Champions League, everything looked lost. But this season, Barcelona have fared much better than expected.
In the summer, Barcelona shed a number of aged heavyweights and have added some exciting youngsters who have performed very well.
Despite enduring a wretched start to their campaign, Barcelona have shown serious progress to get to the situation they are in right now. Ronald Koeman's stint has definitely put Barcelona on the right track, but there's a long way to go.
So a trophy at this point would be a great indicator that Barcelona have made tangible progress under Koeman.