CATALONIA — Barcelona full-back Jordi Alba doesn’t believe the combination of Spain’s long journey to and from Qatar in midweek and an early kick-off against Getafe tomorrow should unduly affect the Catalans.
Reuters
Tomorrow’s fixture will be the first time Barça have played at the 1pm (1100 GMT) kickoff time since it was introduced by the league at the beginning of last season.
But Alba, who was one of nine Barça players who took part in Spain’s 3-1 win over Uruguay on Wednesday, doesn’t believe that should be used as any excuse should the league leaders fail to extend their nine-point lead over Atletico Madrid.
“Getafe are a very difficult opponent. They are aggressive, have quality players and play good football. They will make things difficult for us, but the fact we are playing at 12 shouldn’t be any excuse,” he told Barcelona’s website.
February will be a vital month for Barça with big games against Real Madrid in the Spanish Cup and AC Milan in the Champions League to come as they try to repeat their treble-winning season of 2008/09. But it has started perfectly with the news that Lionel Messi has extended his contract with the club untill 2018.
And Alba appreciates having the World Player of the Year on his side more than most having faced him many times with Valencia.
