Eto`o `ready to die on pitch` for Barca (20.03.2008)
Barcelona striker Samuel Eto`o has issued a rallying call ahead of his team`s Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Valencia.The Catalan club head to the Mestalla on Thursday having suffered from an indifferent run of form since their 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Nou Camp, when they needed a Xavi strike deep into stoppage time to earn a draw after David Villa had given Ronald Koeman`s side the lead.
Barca have since seen their hopes in the Primera Liga fade, with consecutive defeats before last Sunday`s 2-2 draw against Almeria dropping them seven points behind leaders Real Madrid.
And while they did book their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 4-2 aggregate victory against Celtic, Eto`o warned his team-mates they need to improve their performance as they go in search of silverware.
"Our life is at stake in Valencia," Eto`o told the club`s official website. "It is a very important game of the season for us because we are so close to the dream of lifting the Copa del Rey.
"We will be humble going to Valencia and ready to die on the pitch. If we go out, it will be
becauseValencia have played much better than us. I am sure we will know how to suffer as it will be very difficult for us to qualify for the final."
The Cameroon striker, who played his 100th game for the club against Almeria and scored his 72nd goal in the process, has fond memories of the Mestalla having scored twice in a 3-0 rout of Los Che earlier this season.
However, he remains cautious of the task his side face for the trip south.
"Mestalla is a good ground for me but I would rather say that it is a good ground for Barca," he said. "If I score two goals but we don`t qualify, my scoring run at Valencia will have served for nothing."
Valencia defender Carlos Marchena believes his team will need to play the "perfect" game if they are to reach the final.
Los Che have endured a difficult season of their own to sit 10th in the Primera Liga table and are without a win in six games in all competitions.
"We will have to be perfect against Barcelona if we are going to qualify for the final," he told the club`s official website. "We will have to be united as one until the very end."
