Copa del Rey quarter-finals

Guardiola looking forward to El Clasico

January 13, 2012

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola believes his team's clash with Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey will be a thrilling spectacle for fans of both clubs.

Pep Guardiola
GettyImagesPep Guardiola expects an exciting tie

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Barca secured their last-eight spot with a 2-1 win at Osasuna on Thursday night to go through 6-1 on aggregate and book a two-legged meeting with Jose Mourinho's side, who progressed after a 4-2 aggregate win over Malaga.

The first leg will be played at Madrid's Bernabeu stadium on January 18, and Guardiola is looking forward to the occasion.

"Real Madrid are a great rival. It will be beautiful and exciting for the spectators,'' Guardiola told Barcelona's official website. "Both them and us are teams that, no matter what competition we are playing in, we always try to win.''

However, Guardiola played down any effect the tie may have on the race for the Primera Division title, which Real lead by five points.

He added: "It seems as though whatever the result, the world ends at that moment. Whether we go through or not, the games in the league are assured. When you play teams like Real Madrid the possibilities of winning and losing are always there.

"If we were five points ahead we'd go in to this tie to win it just as we will go to win it being five points behind, just like Real Madrid would. We are two teams and two institutions that try to win everything they play.''