Real Madrid can make us pay dearly, says Guardiola

Real Madrid can make us pay dearly, says Guardiola

Pep Guardiola expects the full effect of
Barcelona’s 3-2 loss at Osasuna to be felt
when Real Madrid meet Levante on Sunday.
Reigning La Liga champions Barca suffered
their second defeat of the league season on
Saturday, when an experimental line-up
went down on a partially frozen pitch at
Estadio Reyno de Navarra.
With his team already trailing leaders Real
Madrid by seven points in the title race, Barca
coach Guardiola expects Jose Mourinho’s
front-runners to increase the gap with
victory over Levante at the Santiago
Bernabeu.
“Distancing ourselves from Madrid is painful
… the reality is that we were already at an
important distance and I imagine it will
increase (tomorrow),” he said.
“We don’t really have many
perspectives to work from, we can only
play the next game as best we can to do
well.”
Hosts Osasuna made a flying start to the
match, with a brace from Dejan Lekic putting
them 2-0 up as early as the 21st minute.
Barca hit back, first through Alexis Sanchez
and then with Cristian Tello’s goal, but
Raul Garcia scored Osasuna’s third either
side of those efforts to secure a famous
victory.
“Osasuna were better in the first half,”
Guardiola said.
“We played a great second half, anything
could have happened.”
“Osasuna started off and adapted to the
pitch conditions better than we did.”
“If we were playing well in the second half
on this pitch we could have done the same in
the first.”
The defeat looks set to cost Barca more
than ground in the title race.
Javier Mascherano was reportedly shown a
second yellow card by referee Jose Romero
after the match, meaning the Argentina
midfield will incur at least a one-match
domestic suspension.
Guardiola was reportedly also censured in
the referee’s match report for protesting
Mascherano’s punishment.