Records could tumble as Barcelona continue treble bid

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola says trophies are more important than breaking records, but his side could set a number of new landmarks this season.

Barcelona defeated Getafe 1-0 on Saturday to maintain their six-point advantage over Real Madrid at the league summit and after two years without a trophy the players are hungry for success.

“The only record we care about is winning a title,” said Guardiola. “We have to pick up some silverware and we are working on that.

“The players know what they want to achieve and the way they are approaching things shows they want to win trophies.”

Barcelona are bidding to become the first Spanish side to win an historic treble of the league, Kings Cup and the Champions League.

They are certainly well placed with a six-point cushion in the league and have reached the Kings Cup final where they will face Athletic Bilbao on May 13.

In Europe, they have reached the last four of the Champions League where they will face last season’s runners-up Chelsea.

“The treble is a real possibility,” said Brazilian defender Dani Alves. “We haven’t had any thoughts about not winning anything.

“Great football is useless without titles and we have to crown this great season with titles. If it isn’t three then it could be two. I am sure we are going to win something.”

After setting an all-time record 50 points at the half-way stage point of 19 games, Barcelona are on course to break other landmarks.

So far they have scored 88 goals in 31 games and have seven games to try and match Real’s goal record of 107 when they won the league title in 1990.

Real also hold the league record racking up 92 points in the 1997 season although that was with 42 games instead of the current 38.

Barcelona have 78 points with 21 points available in the seven remaining games.

Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o also has the chance to become the first player to score 30 goals in a season since Ronaldo scored 34 with Barcelona in 1997.

Eto’o is the league’s top-scorer with 26 goals and is bidding to win his second Pichichi topscorer crown having finished top of the charts in 2006.

Alves says defending champions Real will not give up until the end, but took a dig at Barcelona’s rivals saying it didn’t matter who they signed this summer as his side have so many of the top players.

“I have no doubt that here at Barcelona we have some of the best players in the world,” said Alves.

“If Madrid don’t go shopping at Barcelona this summer they won’t have the best in the world because they are here.”

Spanish international Andres Iniesta is undoubtedly one of them and the midfielder says the the win over Getafe shows the spirit of champions.

“You win titles at grounds like this,” said Iniesta. “Our away form is brilliant and it was an important victory.”

Barcelona have some tough games coming up with a home match against Sevilla on Wednesday before a trip to Valencia at the weekend.

Then at the beginning of May is the eagerly-anticpated ‘El Clasico’ against Real at the Santiago Bernabeu with Barcelona going for a double after winning 2-0 at Camp Nou.