Martino: Fans can drive Barca to glory

Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino believes the club’s supporters will be vital in next weekend’s title decider against Atletico Madrid.

Martino’s side could only draw 0-0 at Elche on Sunday but results elsewhere mean that the Catalans can still retain their Liga crown heading into the final weekend of the season.

Coupled with Atletico Madrid’s 1-1 draw against Malaga, Barcelona’s stalemate leaves them three points behind Diego Simeone’s men but a win when the two sides meet will hand them the Liga crown courtesy of their head-to-head record against their rivals.

And with such a nervy end to the season expected, Martino is counting on the supporters at Camp Nou to drive his team to glory.

He told the club’s official website: “It wasn’t what we wanted (against Elche), but we’re pleased with the point given the results from the other games (Atletico and Real Madrid, the latter of whom lost 2-0 against Celta Vigo to end their challenge).

“The most important thing is to get to the end of the season with a chance of winning the title.

“In the final minutes there was ambiguity in our approach because we needed to score but a goal from Elche would have seen us out of the competition. We tried until the end regardless of the results from the other matches

“We hope to have the support from the fans for the remaining 90 minutes of the season; with the help of our people we can win the title.”