Neymar to miss UEFA Super Cup clash
BARCELONA's bid to emulate their record-breaking
year of 2009 suffered a blow on the eve of their
UEFA Super Cup clash against Sevilla with the loss
of Neymar to illness.
The Brazil superstar has been struck down with the
mumps and treble-winners Barca say he will be
sidelined for the next two weeks.
That means the 23-year-old will not only miss
today's clash with Europa League champions
Sevilla in Tbilisi but he will also sit out the two-
legged Spanish Supercopa against Athletic Bilbao
later this month.
If Barca win those two titles then they will be just
one step away from matching their incredible
success of six years ago when, under Pep
Guardiola, they became the first club to win all six
major trophies available to them in a calendar year.
Midfielder Ivan Rakitic, who joined Barca from
Sevilla last summer, told a press conference: "We
want to carry on making history and win the sextet.
But we have to take things each step at a time. And
the first chance is today in Tbilisi. "We are
confident in ourselves and in our strengths.
We'll work even harder than we did last year, but
we know there will be hard times this season too."
He added of today's clash: "This is not any old
game for me. There is a lot of Sevilla in me, but not
for this game. As I have always done, I'll be giving
everything I have to Barca."
Even without one third of their all-star attacking
triumvirate – the others being Lionel Messi and Luis
Suarez – Barca will still be favourites to overcome
Sevilla and if they do they will equal AC Milan's
record of five wins in the Super Cup.
year of 2009 suffered a blow on the eve of their
UEFA Super Cup clash against Sevilla with the loss
of Neymar to illness.
The Brazil superstar has been struck down with the
mumps and treble-winners Barca say he will be
sidelined for the next two weeks.
That means the 23-year-old will not only miss
today's clash with Europa League champions
Sevilla in Tbilisi but he will also sit out the two-
legged Spanish Supercopa against Athletic Bilbao
later this month.
If Barca win those two titles then they will be just
one step away from matching their incredible
success of six years ago when, under Pep
Guardiola, they became the first club to win all six
major trophies available to them in a calendar year.
Midfielder Ivan Rakitic, who joined Barca from
Sevilla last summer, told a press conference: "We
want to carry on making history and win the sextet.
But we have to take things each step at a time. And
the first chance is today in Tbilisi. "We are
confident in ourselves and in our strengths.
We'll work even harder than we did last year, but
we know there will be hard times this season too."
He added of today's clash: "This is not any old
game for me. There is a lot of Sevilla in me, but not
for this game. As I have always done, I'll be giving
everything I have to Barca."
Even without one third of their all-star attacking
triumvirate – the others being Lionel Messi and Luis
Suarez – Barca will still be favourites to overcome
Sevilla and if they do they will equal AC Milan's
record of five wins in the Super Cup.