Barca target Champions League

Barcelona might have suffered a shock 1-0 home loss to Osasuna before lifting the league trophy but coach Pep Guardiola has now targeted Champions League victory to round off the club’s stunning season.

A Walter Pandiani goal late Saturday gave Osasuna a 1-0 win against a Barca side made up largely of reserves with Guardiola resting players ahead of the Champions League final on Wednesday against Manchester United.

It was a disappointing night for Barca youngster Marc Muniesa who was dismissed for a crude challenge and Guardiola himself was sent off minutes later for protesting.

Speaking on the pitch to the crowd after lifting the trophy, Guardiola said: “We will not let you down on Wednesday. Thank you for your support but now we must go and sleep to prepare ourselves.

“I wanted to coach these players and now I congratulate them on winning two trophies but the biggest is still to come and we cannot fail. I would like everyone to congratulate them because they deserve it.”

Despite the win for Osasuna it was not enough to see them move out of the bottom three.

“Once again it was an example of how we play better against the stronger teams because we go out more concentrated,” said Osasuna coach Jose Antonio Camacho.

“I said beforehand that if we win here then our future would be down to us and that has been the case, now we have a week to prepare for our last game against Real Madrid who will also be playing for pride and will want to win.”

A 90th minute strike from Diego Perotti gave Sevilla a 1-0 win over Deportivo la Coruna which assures the Andalucian side of Champions League football next season.

Sevilla had plenty of possession but struggled to break down a resolute Depor defence, that was though until the final minute when Perotti appeared in the box to convert an Adriano cross from the right-wing.

A hat-trick from Diego Forlan has consolidated Atletico Madrid’s position in the top four while the Uruguayan has over-taken Samuel Eto’o as the top scorer in the Primera Division with 31 goals.

Athletic Bilbao, who are already safe from relegation, went behind to a Raul Garcia volley from outside the area but the cup finalists drew level midway through the second half with Xabi Etxeita scoring.

Forlan emphatically gave Atletico the win though with two fine goals before he completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot.

“We still have nothing assured, it is difficult to predict what will happen in football but this has certainly been a big step forward for us,” said the Atletico coach Abel Resino, who also had words of praise for Forlan.

“He is ambitious and as well as working hard, he makes the difference for the team. It appeared as though he was not participating in the game and then scored two good goals followed by a penalty.”

Villarreal have leapfrogged Valencia with a resounding 3-1 win over their local rivals and remain with an outside chance of a place in the Champions League, while Valencia can now hope for nothing more than Uefa Cup football next season.

A brace from Joseba Llorente gave Villarreal a commanding lead and then while David Villa did pull a goal back before half time, Ruben Cani assured the home side of victory mid-way through the second half.

Valencia coach Unai Emery accepted that while his team has been in the top four for most of this season, at the crucial moment they have struggled.

“Now the reality is that we are up against Deportivo for a place in the Uefa Cup and we will have to win the game against Athletic Bilbao next weekend,” he said.

“It is unfortunate situation because after about 30 matches we have been in a Champions League place and now we find ourselves fighting for a place in the Uefa Cup.”

At the other end of the table both Recreativo Huelva and Numancia have been relegated.

Real Betis go into their final match of the season looking nervously over their shoulders after their 1-1 draw with Malaga leaves them one point off the drop zone.

A goal from Brazilian Edu appeared to be enough to give Betis the win before Albert Luque struck ten minutes from the end with a powerful shot from outside the area.

On Sunday, Real Madrid face Mallorca in their last home game of a season to forget with the dismissal of coach Bernd Schuster and also the resignation of president Ramon Calderon.

They play a Mallorca side who thanks to a strong second half of the season already have their top-flight future assured.