Barca to end Camp Nou holidays on a grand note.




Match Preview: Sunday 20/01/2008 21:00 hours (GMT +1), La Liga, Match Day 20

FC BARCELONA ( 2nd/40pts ) - RACING SANTANDER ( 6th/32pts )
Stadium: Camp Nou, Barcelona

Capacity : 98,772
Referee:


Full Squad:


FC Barcelona (4-3-3):

Valdés, Pinto, Zambrotta, Oleguer, Puyol, Milito, Thuram, Márquez, Sylvinho, Abidal, Deco, Xavi, Iniesta, Gudjohnsen, Giovani, Bojan, Henry and Messi.
Manager: Frank Rijkaard


Racing Santander(4-4-2): Being Awaited

Manager: Marcelino Garcia Toral


Match Preview:


The arrival of Jose Manuel Pinto as well as the return of Lionel Messi all provide vital boosts to the the Barca squad who were rueing the absence of star striker Samuel Eto'o. Oleguer Presas is also back and has been named in the squad. The Catalan giants have a self-inflicted mandate to win all remaining matches and hope that Real Madrid will draw or lose at least three of their matches. This will close the gap between the two, as the Blaugrana aim to recapture their Liga title again this season. Ronaldinho is still out and so is Edmilson. Barca have been on a roll since this year began, winning all matches played except the draw with Sevilla; a draw that was good enough to earn the Blaugrana a ticket to the quarter final stage of the King's Cup. Now, the inspired super stars, who have been roosting at home in Camp Nou over the past one week despite filing out for it's third match within the period, are set to end a great week with a win over visiting Santander.


Racing Santander have been quite impressive after being forced to become more serious with a thrashing by Sevilla in December. They pride themselves in a recent revival, including a victory over Real Mallorca. However, the recent declaration by helmsman, Marcelino that this very game against FC Barcelona is not as important as the mid-week Copa del Rey clash against Athletic Bilbao, calls into question the level of confidence with which Santander are entering this match with. Even though placed in the sixth position in the League, which by their standards is very impressive, the King's cup quarter finalists. Mohammed Smolarek is missing, but frontman Pedro Munitis may provide coach Marcelino some more hope as a likely loss to Barca looms him in the face.


My Prediction:


Despite Marcelino's attempts to under-play Santander's seriousness to encounter, the match will be tougher than FC Barcelona anticipate, especially as the Santander team don't want to enter their cherished Copa del Rey encounter with a negative psychology which a loss brings. However, the Catalan giants are expected to rise to the occassion and break the opponents' resistance within the 90 minute period. I forsee:




FC Barcelona - Racing Santander 2 - 0

Match Preview: Saturday 12/01/2008 20:00 hours (GMT +1), La Liga, Match Day

FC BARCELONA ( 2nd/37pts ) - REAL MURCIA ( 9th/22pts )
Stadium: Camp Nou, Barcelona

Capacity : 98,772
Referee:


Probable Line-up:


FC Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdes ; Zambrotta, Thuram, Puyol, Sylvinho; Xavi, Marquez, Gudjohnsen; Iniesta, Eto'o, Henry

Manager: Frank Rijkaard


Real Murcia(4-4-2): Notario; De Coz, Ochoa, Mejia, Pena; Lucas, Movilla, Pablo Garcia, Abel; Goitom, Baiano
Manager: Lucas Alcaraz


Match Preview:


FC Barcelona continue to climb the very steep mountain of ensuring they don't secure a draw in any La Liga game until further notice. A win is all that matters at this point, after league leaders Real Madrid have gone seven points clear at the top of the table and look all set to win against Levante. Barca also look all set to win against Real Murcia this evening, and will rely on good selection and pattern as well as good form from the players in order to achieve victory.


With Ronaldinho and Deco still out as well as Toure Yaya absent but from national duty and from suspension, a watered down, yet very solid Barca squad will be on parade today. Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry both look very likely to score, while Andres Iniesta looks very certain to keep upstaging opposing defenders as the brilliant 23 year-old Barca player continues to display fine form.


Murcia's coach Lucas Alcaraz will depend on speed and surprise tonight against the Catalan giants. The coach has the speed of Fernando Baiano and vastly improved defence which will hope to launch surprise counter attacks for the likes of midfielders Pablo Garcia, Abel, Movilla and De Lucas to link up with Baiano and Goitom with hopes for a goal.


At the back, ex-Real Madrid player Alvaro Mejia will fortify the Murcia defence with teammate Ochoa, who has been in good form thi season. The two defenders will be surronded by De Coz and Paco Pena on the flanks.


The team, looking quite formidable on paper, may not be formidable enough to withstand the pressure from a wounded lion that is FC Barcelona.


My Prediction:


I forsee Murcia coming out to prove they are no push-overs, but being contained by Barca. A few nervous moments may arrive for the Catalan giatnts as they will slighly fall to the assumed complacency of Murcia and then be hit with counters. However, I forsee a final score of:


FC Barcelona - Real Murcia 3 - 0

Copa Del Rey takes early centre stage as two giants prepare for the big duel of the night.


Match Preview: Wednesday 09/01/2008 22:00 hours, Copa Del Rey, Round 1/16

SEVILLA FC - FC BARCELONA
Stadium: Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville

Capacity :
Referee:


Full Squad :


FC Barcelona (4-4-2): Valdés, Oier, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Eto’o, Márquez, Henry, Milito, Thuram, Gudjohnsen, Abidal, Edmílson, Zambrotta, Bojan, Giovani.

Manager: Frank Rijkaard


Sevilla(4-3-3): De Sanctis, Vargas, Daniel, De Mul, Navas, Adriano, Capel, Fazio, Mosquera, Dragutinovic, Crespo, Kerzhakov, Maresca, Renato, Poulsen, Chevantón, Luis Fabiano.
Manager: Manolo Jiménez


Match Preview:


A Copa Del Rey match which comes before the quarter final stage is not usually expected to generate a lot of attention, but with two giant teams in both the La Liga and in Europe clashing at such a stage, a lot of fireworks is expected to be generated before and during such an encounter. And indeed,the fireworks have already begun to fly. FC Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o will make a surprise appearance tonight after Barca officials confirmed they had obtained written permission to keep the Cameroonian away from his country's national team camp for an extra week. Thierry Henry is warming up for another partnership with Eto'o which sunk Mallorca 2-0 over the weekend, while starlets likes Bojan and Giovani are eager to prove they should be equally reckoned with in the absence of big name strikers.


Barca must have to do without goalkeeper Albert Jorquera, and first choice keeper Victor Valdes may play the Copa role usually reserved for the injured reserve keeper unless Rijkaard chooses to draft in Oier Olazabal to train his nerves with steel in such a risky and high profile encounter. Ronaldinho and Deco are out due to injury and so is Lionel Messi. Despite the injuries, coach Frank Rijkaard still has vast talents to choose from, with most of the Blaugrana players in form and many also returning from injury.


Sevilla on the other hand, have more key absentee players than Barca. Frédédric Kanouté, Seydou Kieta and Arouna Koné will all be missing from the Sevilla line-up, as the productive African trio have all left for national assignment in their respective countries. Also out are Martí and Julien Escudé. However, with the return of Aleksandr Kerzakhov as well as defender Federico Fazio and midfielders Tom de Mul and Renato, coach Manolo Jimenez will still have some hope to look forward to. Of course, Luis Fabiano remains an ever-present threat to any team in the world.


The only advantage for Sevilla will be that the game tonight will be played in Seville and not anywhere else.

The home team will hope to grab a favourable result as a likely loss to Barca is expected in the return leg to be played in Camp Nou.


My Prediction:


It will be a tough and evenly contested match. Last time both teams met a few months ago, FC Barcelona thrashed Sevilla 3-0. This scoreline may not be repeated, but a victory for the Catalan giants is not ruled out either. However, most likely scores look closer to:


Sevilla - FC Barcelona 1 - 1

FC Barcelona hope to wipe away sad memories against Betis after title-shattering draw last season.


Match Preview: Wednesday 04/11/2007 19:00 hours (GMT +1), La Liga, Match Day 11

FC BARCELONA ( 2nd/21pts ) - REAL BETIS ( 17th/8pts )
Stadium: Camp Nou, Barcelona

Capacity : 98,772
Referee:


Probable Line-up:


FC Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdés, Jorquera, Oleguer, Zambrotta, Puyol, Márquez, Thuram, Abidal, Sylvinho, Xavi, Iniesta, Touré, Gudjohnsen, Messi, Henry, Ronaldinho, Dos Santos, Krkic.

Manager: Frank Rijkaard


Real Betis(4-4-2): Ricardo, Doblas, Ilic, Juanito, Lima, Isidoro, Xisco, Somoza, Arzu, Juande, Babic, Rivera, Mark González, Caffa, Pavone, Fernando, Edu, José Mari, Fernando Vega.
Manager: Hector Cuper


Match Preview:

FC Barcelona are eager to reclaim their La Liga title this season and will be playing tonight against Real Betis, a team whose 1-1 draw at camp Nou last season pierced Barca’s La Liga title hopes. A repeat of that encounter is awaited today, but it’s doubtful if there will be a repeat of the scoreline as Barca look like they are not as generous in Camp Nou as they were last season. The Blaugrana have maintained a 100% record at home this season, and will gladly add Betis to that record if only to punish the visitors for their spoiler position taken against the Catalan giants last season.


The Blaugrana have been greatly weakened by the absence of Deco in the midfield and the absence of Eto’o is still being felt in the attack although Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry have been doing quite well to fill that void. Henry himself returns to the squad along with Eric Abidal, and their inclusion will no doubt, strengthen the squad as they need to simply keep winning in order to keep their title hopes hopes alive.


Bojan Krkic and Giovani dos Santos will likely continue their impressive run, and Gudjohnsen who has been impressive coming on as a sub in the last two matches will also struggle to come into more reckoning with a goal against Betis in order to solidify his place in the team after he was left out at the start of the season. Ronaldinho is also back with a bang, and with goal keeper Victor Valdes in great form, there’s a lot of expectation from the Blaugrana against their much weaker opponents.


Real Betis on their own part are down at the lower end of the table with just 8 points from the last ten matches, but small teams have a way of acting big once they meet FC Barcelona. This is not surprising that Betis secured a draw at same venue last season, and have publicly announced they hope to do the same thing again this season. Coach Hector Cuper will be glad if this happens to the team which has been a shadow of itself since the departure of Joaquin and Oliveira in 2006.


Cuper will have to rely on current players like Edu, Gonzalez and Xisco to make things happen for the La Liga clubside, and will fervently pray his defence line do not crack up against the rampaging Barca strikers. Already, Betis defence line is without key defenders like Melli, Nano, Rivas and Damìa, who would have provided adequate cover in the absence of strikers like fast-paced David Odonkor, Jesus Capitan or Rafael Sobis, who all could have kept the Blaugrana busy and lessened the likelihood and frequency of attacks from the feared Catalans.


My Prediction:
Without pretending, I expect FC Barcelona to overpower Real Betis and secure the three points at stake.

I forsee:


FC Barcelona – Real Betis 3-0

A test of skill and strength as battle for the leadership of Group E takes centre stage.


Match Preview: Tuesday 23/10/2007 20:45 (GMT +1), Champions League, Match Day 3

GLASGOW RANGERS - FC BARCELONA


Stadium: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow
Capacity :

Referee:


Likely Starting Line-up:


FC Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdés, Jorquera, Puyol, Thuram, Sylvinho, Oleguer, Abidal, Milito, Iniesta, Ronaldinho, Messi, Xavi, Dos Santos, Crosas, Henry, Ezquerro, Gudjohnsen, Krkic.
Manager: Frank Rijkaard


Galsgow Rangers(4-4-2): McGregor, Hutton, Cuéllar, Weir, Papac, Beasley, Ferguson, Thomson, McCulloch, Cousin, Carroll, Boyd, Novo, Adam, Whittaker, Faye, Naismith, Burke.

Manager: Walter Smith


Match Preview:
Even while breathing fire and brimestone, Walter Smith admits the Champions League clash with Barcelona will be one of the toughest tests he has faced in his managerial career. The Rangers boss ranks the visit of the Catalan giants right up there with the two games against Juventus during his first spell at Ibrox in 1995. Rangers lost heavily both home and away to the Italians, conceding eight goals over the two games, and Juventus went on to triumph in the tournament. Smith now believes he has warmed up to playing with the big boys and is hoping to avoid a repeat performance this time around, against Barca, insisting he and his players will relish every moment of the tussle. The Rangers' players have come out en masse to verbally support their coach and attack the visiting Barca squad, with hopes of winning a psychological battle well ahead of the physical battle on the pitch.


The Glasgow outfit pride themselves in the 3-0 win in Stade Gerland against Lyon and have said such victory only proved that beating Stuttgart was not a one-off event. Rangers' coach Walter Smith will be without Jean-Claude Darcheville, who has a hamstring injury, and Brahim Hemdani, who has a groin problem. There is some good news for the Gers' boss though as Kris Boyd returns to the squad after missing the win over Celtic.


Frank Rijkaard has a few more problems to contend with as Deco has recently been added to the injury list at Camp Nou after tearing a muscle in his thigh against Villarreal. Touré Yaya is also out along with Samuel Eto'o, Gianluca Zambrotta, Edmílson and Rafa Márquez. Ronaldinho is back in the squad after he was omitted from the match at the weekend, and an inspired Bojan Krkic will hope to be given another opportunity to stamp his presence further after the goal machine opened his official FC Barcelona account over the weekend with a goal against Villarreal.


No doubt, the long list of injured players will affect Barca, and also considering that most of the available players are tired from lengthy commitments to their countries for matches played in a long stretch of one week in different parts of the world. However, the inner strength of the Catalan stars is expected to come to the fore this night as Glasgow rangers are not expected to upstage the highly favoured Barcelona squad.


My Prediction:

Both Rangers and Barca will come out smoking tonight, with Rangers being the more aggressive side. Barca must watch the inspired Scotts and strive to prevent an early goal, as this will stabilize them as it did against Villarreal. FC Barcelona's defence holds the key in this encounter. Any lapse in defence by the Blaugrana will be disastrous.


The Barca attack will live up to its billings and a goal or two is all but certain from the talented strike force. An additional desire to make amends after suffering a loss over the weekend will inspire Barcelona further. I forsee:


Glasgow Rangers - FC Barcelona 1 - 2