Match Preview: Sunday 17/09/2006 20:00 (GMT +2): La Liga, Match Day 3
RACING SANTANDER - FC BARCELONA

El Sardinero, Santander – Capacity: 25.000
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo


FC Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdés - Zambrotta, Márquez (Oleguer), Puyol, Van Bronckhorst - Xavi (Deco), Iniesta, Edmilson - Eto'o, Gudjohnsen (Ronaldinho), Messi.


Match Preview:

Racing Santander have lost both matches so far (Atletico Madrid and Getafe) while Barca won both, away to Celta and at home against Osasuna. Barca delighted their fans with extraodinary football so far. So, we do not have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that anything else than a victory would be a disappointment.
Racing Santander has got a good team but had a bad start to the season. Of course, the clear underdogs from Cantabria are out to upset the champions and I suppose, the Barca team has to fight as much as in the away game against Celta to bring home this 3 important away points.


Apart from finding form on the pitch, the preparations for the new season have been more than difficult. Suddenly, Juan Ramón López Caro (the former Merengue coach) decided to pack his bags at El Sardinero because he believed he had made the wrong choice taking over at Racing and joined newly promoted Levante.

In order to keep Racing out of the relegation danger zone, the board opted for a complete change of players over the summer and were involved in no less than 25 transfers. The huge number of changes also meant that newly appointed coach Miguel Angel Portugal, another Merengue coach, responsible for Real Madrid´s B team, had no time to prepare and had only little room to bring in his type of players or also remove the players he did not want.


On paper Racing have made some decent transfers, but with little time to prepare and the bad start as the resulting consequence, the former Merengeue B coach Portugal knows that his team will be fighting for their survival in La Primera Liga and any point is needed to end the season above the relegation zone. Just to name a few summer signings, Pedro Munitis has returned for his third spell at his hometown club Racing Santander and also Luis Fernández (Betis) and Gonzalo Colsa (Atletico Madrid)returned. 2,02 meter man Nikola Zigic has joined from Red Star Belgravia to add some power to the front line. Rubén González and Javier Balboa have followed the coach from Real Madrid B. Momo, Scaloni and Rubén Castro also moved from Deportivo La Coruna and Antonio Tomás had been sold to the Riazor outfit, only to be loaned back immediately to Racing.


At FC Barcelona the situation appears to be completely different. Everything seems to run smoothly and the start with a 100% record can not be better. Barca delights the fans with their most exciting and successful football. FC Barcelona has no injury worries and enjoy the luxury to rest star players such as Thuram, Motta, Belletti and Saviola, who have not even made the trip to Santander while Ronaldinho and Deco are even tipped to start the match sitting on the bench.


The performances of the teams might have been different at the start of the season, but statistically the results have been very balanced in the past:
Barca won only 11, drew 14 and lost 13 matches.


My Prediction:

As I mentioned before, we do not need to be a rocket scientist to find out what the odds are, that Barca is heading home to Catalunya with 3 more points in their baggage, unless something extra ordinary happens. But the team has to be focused and fight hard.
The biggest thread will come from the attacking line of Santander, the little Munitis as the provider and giant Zigic as the executor. Marquez and Puyol will face a tough job in the air, but I believe that barca will be able to stop any dangerous crosses flying into their penalty area.


Barca´s striker Eto'o, who currently is in fantastic form, will be fired up to add more goals to his account. I can see him score again tonight.

It is almost impossible to see FC Barcelona losing against Racing.


Racing Santander - FC Barcelona 0-2