The former Sevilla midfielder Ivan Rakitic, currently plying his trade at Barcelona, gave an interview to the Andalusian club’s official radio station. The Croatia international left quite an impression at Sevilla, and the affection is mutual on both sides.
The Super Cup: “It’s a special game, really nice. I’m really up for playing in the Super Cup because last year I couldn’t with Sevilla because I'd already left. For me it’s going to be unforgettable.”
Last year: “It was hard to beat. I’m proud of everything we achieved and my participation, because I played 51 games. We made history, and I scored in the Champions League final. I arrived with a lot of enthusiasm and confident that everything would work out well. Luckily it did.”
Barcelona: “We’ve gradually been speaking about the Super Cup more and more but we know that we’re in pre-season and we have to prepare right so we can have a strong year. Of course, we know we’re playing for a trophy too, so we’ll prepare for it gradually. The important thing is that we go into it relaxed and motivated.”
Form: "We’re like any other team. If now we were one-hundred percent it would be bad news. We haven’t been training for very long and everything that’s happening is normal. What matters is that we’re improving in every game and every training session. Our intensity is increasing and we’re going to try to do our best, but for sure we won’t be firing on all cylinders in the Super Cup.”
Sevilla: “I’ve said that I don’t like playing against Sevilla because as a Sevilla fan I want Sevilla to win, and as a professional I want to win a trophy too. I see they’ve changed a lot of pieces and have done that well again. We’ll have to play the perfect game to beat Sevilla because I know how Emery and his technical team work”.
Tbilisi: “There is a different time zone and everything… We can’t change the venue, even though both clubs would have done it differently, but it’s a title; what can we do?”