Barcelona vs. Athletic Bilbao, 2015 Copa del Rey final: Domestic double clinched

Everyone figured Barcelona would win this one easily, and that’s exactly what they did. They’re the Copa del Rey champions after sweeping aside Athletic Bilbao with two first-half goals, earning a 3-1 win and a shot at a treble when they play in the Champions League final next weekend.

The start of the match was a little dull, with Barcelona taking their time to slowly feel out Athletic Bilbao. The Basque team were trying to slow down and frustrate Barcelona while looking for opportunities to get forward. While Barcelona were certainly slow early on, that seemed to be mostly of their own doing, and they certainly didn’t seem terribly frustrated.

SB Nation presents: Everything you need to know about next week’s final

Six years after Pep Guardiola guided Barcelona to a famous treble, his protege has a chance to repeat the feat. Luis Enrique was the B-team manager at the time, and he’s done brilliantly in his first season as the senior side manager, guiding his team to the La Liga title and two cup finals. The first of those is on Saturday, in the Copa del Rey against Athletic Club.

While Athletic disappointed in the Champions League, getting destroyed in a very weak group, they recovered well. Their run to seventh in the league and the Copa del Rey final means that they’ll be playing in Europe again next season, albeit in the Europa League. Aymeric Laporte has blossomed into a legitimate superstar who might get his release clause met by a huge club in the summer, while veteran striker Aritz Aduriz had the best season of his career.

Barcelona hope to secure the second title of a potential treble on Saturday when they welcome Athletic Bilbao to the Camp Nou for the Copa del Rey final. They may still have a Champions League final on the horizon, but for the moment Luis Enrique’s La Liga champions will have to shift their attention to this match against an undoubtedly tricky opponent.

Barça have beaten Athletic on both of their meetings in the league this season, but write the Basque side off at your peril. They haven’t scored many goals, but Ernesto Valverde’s side are well-disciplined at the back. They could also have a sprinkling of extra motivation, having won this tournament an impressive 23 times (that’s more than Real Madrid), yet not since 1984. It should be an intriguing encounter.