“If Barcelona need to, they stick seven past you. And if not, eight,” Lucas Pérez said. It was Monday afternoon and the Deportivo de La Coruña striker was preparing for the visit of April’s worst team along with Getafe, the team that had been unable to defeat his side in their previous two meetings, both of them ending 2-2, but he knew this would not be easy. In fact, it turned out that he knew, full stop. Two and half days later, from one end of Riazor he watched as at the other end, down by the sea, Luis Suárez rolled the ball across for Neymar to step away from Manu Fernández and lift it into the net. It was Neymar’s first goal in six games and Barcelona’s eighth goal of the night.
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There is something comforting about the way Atlético compete, an assuredness about them that no one can match
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