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Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has warned his side they have not achieved anything yet this season despite winning their last eight Primera Liga matches.
Guardiola's reign as coach has begun in style and Barcelona lead the standings by a point from Villarreal following 10 rounds of the championship.
But the former Barca midfielder and captain says there is still a long way to go.
"What we have done up until now has been good, but in some games we find it harder to attack than in others, and we haven't achieved anything yet," he said.
The Catalans travel to struggling Recreativo Huelva tomorrow and Guardiola insists his team still have a lot to prove.
"We still have a lot to do and we have to show what we're about again on Sunday because we saw against Benidorm how difficult it can be," he said.
Guardiola's side laboured to a 1-0 home win over the seasiders in the second leg of the two teams' Copa del Rey last-32 match on Tuesday.
Lionel Messi scored from the spot to save the Catalans from an embarrassing draw against the Second Division B outfit and seal a 2-0 aggregate win.
Guardiola rested several key players for that match, with Messi, Samuel Eto'o, Thierry Henry, Victor Valdes, Xavi and Rafa Marquez all left out of the starting line-up.
All could return to the side for tomorrow`s game in Huelva, when Barcelona will be looking for a ninth straight Primera Liga success.
Nevertheless, Guardiola expects Recreativo to provide a tough test for his side.
"They held Valencia to a draw and lost by a single goal at Sevilla; they are well-organised with two banks of four, and in attack (Javier) Camunas, Javi Guerrero and Sisi have a lot of talent," he said.
Eto'o scored four goals as Barcelona thrashed Real Valladolid 6-0 at the Nou Camp last weekend.
The Cameroon striker is the league's top scorer with 13 goals, while Barcelona boast an impressive total of 34 strikes from just 10 games.
The team's goal average of over three per game is the best in all of Europe and their tally of eight goals conceded is also the joint lowest in the Primera Liga, along with Sevilla.
On Sunday, Guardiola will be without Gabi Milito, Eric Abidal and Andres Iniesta, who all remain sidelined.
Recreativo parted company with previous coach Manuel Zambrano last month and have tightened up under new man Lucas Alcaraz, securing three consecutive draws prior to last weekend's narrow defeat at Sevilla.
However, the Andalusian side remain in trouble at the wrong end of the table, now lying above the relegation zone on goal difference alone.
Alcaraz's side also went out of the Copa del Rey to Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, despite beating the Basque side 2-1 in the second leg.
Ersen Martin picked up an injury in that clash and is unlikely to feature tomorrow.
Camunas is set to return from injury, though, and Iago Bouzon is back from a ban.
Despite the daunting prospect of facing the league leaders, Alcaraz says he is more concerned with his own side than Barcelona.
"We have to worry about ourselves and play the best we possibly can, in order to carry out what we have been working on; and from then on, the result will depend on a lot of circumstances," he said.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Recreativo Huelva vs Barcelona - 16.11.2008
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