Match Preview: Sunday 29/04/2007 19:00 (GMT +1): La Liga, Match Day 32
FC BARCELONA - U.D. LEVANTE

Camp Nou, Barcelona – Capacity: 99.000
Referee: Clos Gomez


FC Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdes - Zambrotta, Thuram, Puyol, Gio - Iniesta, Xavi, Deco - Messi, Eto´o, Ronaldinho - Manager: Frank Rijkaard


Levante (4-4-2): Molina - Descarga, Alvaro, Alexis, Rubiales - Ze Maria, Berson (N´Daye), Kapo, Tommasi - Salva, Riga Mustapha (Reggi) - Manager: Abel Resino


Match Preview:

Spanish La Liga leader FC Barcelona (1st/59 points) will host relegation threatened Levante (18th/30 points) at Camp Nou tonight (19:00, local time) and nobody really believes that Barca could drop some points in this match. The eyes are more focused on the other matches, if Espanyol is able to help city rival Barcelona in Sevilla or Athletic to make life difficult for Real at Bilbao.


Again, after Barca´s loss at the Madregal last weekend, the criticism of the media did not stop. Still looking at it, FC Barcelona have got their fate in their own hands, unlike Real Madrid and Sevilla, who clash next week at the Bernabeu. Both teams have to hope that Barca draws again, while they win their matches. But with playing each other next week in Madrid, one challenger will certainly drop points again, and if the match ends in a draw, both will do so.


Levante has not won a match since the middle of February and have now reached the relegation zone. Barca have not lost one single match at Camp Nou in this campaign. Generally, it should be a David against Goliath encounter, but we know how the story ended. Levante, like Mallorca and the other teams of the lower part of the table, will come to Camp Nou to pack their own half and defend with heart. they will try to surprise Barca on the break and just hope for any sort of result. If offered a deal before the match, they would surely settle for a draw without question. But having said that, Levante managed to win at Bernabeu, on Feb 4.


Barca´s Márquez is back in the team, therefore Ezquerro will be rested. Frank Rijkaard will probably stick to his offensive, creative combination in midfield and will start with Iniesta, Xavi and Deco. Therefore, if Marquez should get into the starting line-up he would be more likely to replace Thuram in the heart of the defence. I see Zambrotta start on the right and Gio on the left. No changes in attack: Messi, Eto´o and Ronaldinho.


Levante is without injured Ian Harte and Salva Ballesta is set to return to the squad but probably will take place on the substitute bench.


My Prediction:
Barca playing Levante at Camp Nou should be, on paper, more a formality and produce a comfortable win. Still, we do not have to forget that Levante managed to win at the Bernabeu. While the odds are very clear and in favour of FC Barcelona, the reality will be that Levante will park a bus in front of their goal. this means, the midfield has to be creative and the attacking line with Ronaldinho, Eto´o and Messi have to use their chances this time. To wasteful Barca had been with their opportunities to score in recent weeks.

I guess, only the most pessimistic Barca supporter can see the team losing tonight. Would you put your money on Levante? I certainly would not. therefore it is easy to say for me:


FC Barcelona - Levante 3-0


Visca el Barca!

FC Barcelona have made their best start to a league season under Frank Rijkaard. promising, if we considere that in the last 2 sesons, Barca won the Championship back to back.
Barca is currently at the top of the table with 13 points and 13 goals scored (only 4 against).

This matches the result of the year 2004-05 when Barca had a similar start into the season with four wins and a draw, but only scored 12 goals (only 3 against).


Following you will find the starts into the Spanish championship campaigns under Barca coach Frank Rijkaard season by seaon:


2003-04
Athletic Club - FC Barcelona 0-1

FC Barcelona - Sevilla 1-1
Albacete - FCB 1-2

FC Barcelona - Osasuna 1-1
At. Madrid - FC Barcelona 0-0


2004-05

Racing - FC Barcelona 0-2
FC Barcelona - Sevilla 2-0

At. Madrid - FC Barcelona 1-1
FC Barcelona - Zaragoza 4-1

Mallorca - FC Barcelona 1-3


2005-06
Alavés - FC Barcelona 0-0

FC Barcelona - Mallorca 2-0
At. Madrid - FC Barcelona 2-1

FC Barcelona - Valencia 2-2
Betis - FC Barcelona 1-4


2006-07

Celta - FC Barcelona 2-3
FC Barcelona - Osasuna 3-0

Racing - FC Barcelona 0-3
FC Barcelona - Valencia 1-1

Athletic Club - FC Barcelona 1-3

Match Report: Saturday 30/09/2006 22:00 (GMT +2): Primera Liga, Match Day 5
ATLETIC BILBAO - FC BARCELONA 1:3 (1:1)

San Mamés, Bilbao – Attendance: 39.000
Referee: David Fernández Borbalán


Goals:

1-0 Yeste 11´
1-1 Ustaritz, o.g. 45´

1-2 Gudjonsen 61´
1-3 Saviola 77´


Red Card: Casas 20´


FC Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdés - Zambrotta, Marquez, Puyol, Gio - Edmilson (Giuly 31´), Xavi, Deco (Iniesta 61´) - Messi, Gudjohnsen (Saviola 71´), Ronaldinho - Manager: Frank Rijkaard


Atletic Bilbao (4-4-2): Lafuente - Casas (red card 20´), Ustaritz, Sarriegi, Garmendia (Gabilondo 73´) - Iraola, Orbaiz, Javi Martinez, Exteberria (Urzaiz 62´) - Llorente (Exposito 22´), Yeste - Manager: Felix Sarriguarta


Match Report:

FC Barcelona stays at the top of La Liga and maintained the unbeaten run into the season. Athletic Bilbao stays third from bottom with just two points from their opening five matches.


Despite not having won any of their first 4 matches, Atletic Bilbao looked very sharp in the opening period and played very aggressive attacking football from the start. As a result, after only 11 minutes, Atletic´s Francisco Yeste superbly volleyed the ball past Victor Valdes and put the home side in front. Yeste himself passed the ball out to young striker Fernando Llorente on the left who´s cross was deflected from Rafa Marquez´s leg. Yeste then was just in the right place to receive the deflected cross and hiot a stunning volley right into the right side of the Barca goal.


The turning point of the match came in the 20th minute when Atletic´s defender Javier Casas was shown the red card on a professional foul on Barca´s center forward Eidur Gudjohnsen. Leo Messi had a great run through the midfield and his pass set centre forward Gudjohnsen free, who was running towards the penalty area but went down under the challenge from Casas. Controversy surrounded the situation because it was clearly a professional foul and Gudjohnsen was denied a clear goal scoring opportunity but it is doubtful that Casas was the last man.
Definetely, the red card turned the game completely and in to the favour of Barca.


After Atletic was down to 10 men, tactical changes were made on both sides. Bilbao sacrificed young striker Llorente for Unai Expósito, to fill the empty spot in atletics defence line and Rijkaard brought on french winger Giuly for defensive midfielder Edmílson to add a player in attack and take advantage of the player surplus.


From now on, Barca was controlling and dominating the game and started to create chances. Ronaldinho sent two free-kicks over the cross bar. Gudjohnsen and Xavi both shot towards the goal but both opportunities landed wide. Bilbao´s best player on this night, Francisco Yeste, had the only opportunity for Atletic before the equaliser came in first-half injury time, but his shot went wide.


Barcelona levelled the match in a psychological important period, just moments before the half time whistle. Gudjohnsen sent in a low cross towards Barca captain Carles Puyol. But unlucky Atletic defender Ustaritz beat Puyol only to steer the ball past his own goalkeeper Inaki Lafuente.


In the second half the spectators saw only one way football. FC Barcelona was in charge and it was only a matter of time when Barca would take the lead.


Barça could have gone ahead almost immediately after the restart when Giuly tried to convert a high ball from Ronaldinho and Mexican defender Rafael Márquez's powerful shot hit the far post. Few minutes later Marquez shot a long distance free kick over the bar.


In the 61st minute Forward Gudjohnsen put Barca in the lead after a superb pass of midfielder Xavi Hernandez. Gudjohnsen raced all on his own into the penalty area to shot the ball into the far corner.


After the 71st minute Icelandic forward Gudjohnsen was replaced by Saviola and it took only 6 minutes for the pacey Argentine striker to prove that he could fill Eto'o´s boots at Barca, as long as the Cameroon hitman is sidelined. Substitute Saviola sealed the Barca´s victory after 77 minutes after some excellent build-up play between Xavi and Andres Iniesta.


Ronaldinho showed another moment of magic when he lobbed over Bilbao keeper Lafuente but the ball drifted wide of the far post.


Finally, a deserved 3-1 victory for Barca but San Mames again proved to be a difficult place.


My Comment:

Definetely the headlines of the week have about the awful injury of inform topstriker Samuel Eto'o. How will Barca cope without their goal machine and who should replace him? At the end Barca won 3-1 and both possible replacements, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Javier Saviola, scored against Athletic Bilbao. This leaves Barca coach Frank Rijkaard with another luxury problem: Who will he select for the next match?
I do not care, as long as the selected striker scores and Barca win.

I alreadys mentioned that Barca will cope with Eto'o´s injury, as they have done before when many star players had been side-lined with lengthy injuries and it looks that way. Both strikers will be motivated to prove that they are more than a worthy replacement for the Cameroon hitman Eto'o. They will want to start on a regular basis. Now, both have proved their point and I hope this will continue. Nothing better for Barca than having 2 goal scoring striker´s at choice. And the competition between the two will fire them up for each single game.


Surely, Barca would have had to battle much harder for a victory, if the red card would not have been awarded. This way, it was an easy cruise. But who cares at the end? 3 points away and top of the league. Barca is making the pace, others have to follow the champs and are not allowed to drop points. A nice situation to be in, before we meet Sevilla in a fourtnight.

Match Report: Saturday 09/09/2006 20:00 (GMT +2): La Primera Liga, Match Day 2
FC BARCELONA - CA OSASUNA 3:0 (3:0)

Camp Nou, Barcelona – Capacity: 65.000
Referee: Julián Rodríguez Santiago



Goals:
1-0 Eto´o (1´)

2-0 Eto´o (27´)
3-0 Messi (37´)


FC Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdés - Zambrotta (Oleguer 80´), Marquez, Thuram, Sylvinho - Edmilson, Xavi, Deco (Iniesta 61´) - Messi, Eto´o, Ronaldinho (Giuly 71´) - Manager: Frank Rijkaard


CA Osasuna (4-2-2): Ricardo - Flaño, Cuellar, Josetxo, Corrales - David López, Muñoz (Nekounam 55´), Puñal, Delporte (Héctor Font 69´) - Raúl García, Soldado (Valdo 79´) - Manager Jose Angel Ziganda


Match Report:

FC Barcelona crushed CA Osasuna 3-0 in Camp Nou yesterday night. Two goals from a leathal Samuel Eto'o (1´, 27´) and one from youngster Lionel Messi (37´) settled the score already before halftime and gave Barcelona an easy win. Osasuna was no match for the Champions at all and were swept aside by a rampant Barca side in true style. In this form Barca is definetely hunting a third consecutive Primera Liga title under coach Frank Rijkaard and will challenge for european glory again.


Barca dominated right from the kick-off in a one-sided first half. The pace and power of star striker Samuel Eto'o was phenomenal and paired with Ronaldinho´s magic as well as Messi´s technical skills, the match was already finished off before the half time whistle.


Barca coach Frank Rijkaard rested captain Carles Puyol and fielded Lilian Thuram at the center of the defence. The French international had a fantastic debut and also Xavi made his first start of the season having been left on the bench against Celta.


Barca got off to the perfect start. Samuel Eto'o opened the scoring just after 1 minute, finishing off a great team effort. Ronaldinho and Deco exchanged passes on the left and it was the Barazilian wizzard who presented the ball on a silver plate for Eto´o who finished from closed range.


In the 21st minute, Samuel Eto'o almost finished a fine move from Leo Messi but 6 minutes later Sammy scored his second goal of the evening. The "Pichichi" of last year, Eto´o, took his opportunity superbly after an error was forced by Deco. Eto´o was quickest to react and lobbed over Osasuna goalkeeper Ricardo, who was without chance.


Eto'o's work rate was phenomenal and in the 37th minute, he turned from goalscorer to provider, as he set up young Leo Messi, who coolly put the ball through Osasuna goalkeeper Ricardo´s legs, just to send the Camp Nou crowd into ecstasy. All 65,000 spectators rose up their seats with the half time whistle to give this extraodinary Barca team a standing ovation while the players walked off the pitch for their well deserved break.


The second half was a little lesson for Osasuna taught by FC Barcelona. With the game won, Barca kept Osasuna under total control but still created some magical football that delighted the home crowd. The best chance of the second half came in the 60th minute when wonderboy Messi played a fine one-two with Xavi before penetrating the penalty area. Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ricardo came off the line to confront the Barca striker but Messi shot the ball past him only for the right post to deny him of a great goal.


Between the 61st and the 80th minute, coach Frank Rijkaard substituted some of his key players to rest them for the midweek Champions League encounter against Levski Sofia. Rijkaard brought on Iniesta (61´), Giuly (71´) and Oleguer (80´) for Deco, Ronaldinho and Zambrotta.


My Comment:
Barca´s display was great! Barca showed similar football, as seen on the pre-seasan tour in the US, in the two legs of the Spanish Super Cup against Espanyol and against Bayern Munich. It was football from a different star and extraodinary class.

I expected much more form Osasuna and I did not believe that it could be that easy. A comfortable win. Barca were dominating the match against an Osasuna team that was a pale shadow of the team of last season. Osasuna did not have one chance worth mentioning in the first half and spent most of the second period chasing the shadows of Ronnie & Co.
Barca delighted their fans again. It was a familiar Camp Nou show and Barca were rampant. Samuel Eto'o was in lethal form, Ronaldinho showed his unselfish magic, providing his companions several time with opportunities.


If the first half was all about Samuel Eto'o, the second was about new signing and veteran Lilian Thuram. The French centre-back was a rock at the heart of the defence and had a fantastic full-time dedut. I always mention the exciting, attacking style of Barca but Barca´s defence looks outstanding this season. Zambrotta and Marquez looked very solid and Sylvinho, especially in the first half, had some great runs on the left and showed great class. With such a performance, I can not see a team in La Liga so far, that could threaten Barca and stop them from winning the third Spanish championship title this year.

Eto´o was the star of the evening, Ronnie at his best, a defence solid as a rock and 3 points more towards winning another title.
What do we want more? ...ok, iI know, the Merengues to lose today!

What a wonderful day, today!

Visca el Barca!

Catalan television station TV3 reached new viewing records with programmes about Barça last weekend.


A total of 3,587,000 tv viewers watched TV3 when FC Barcelona won the Spanish championship title for the second consecutive year.


The special Edition 'El Vestidor' was watched by an average of 687,000 viewers with a market share of 29%. Further, the Sunday programme "Barça Campió" broadcasting the championship celebrations including the convey parading through the City of Barcelona registered 393,000 viewers on average (market share 20.4%). Last year, the corresponding programme was watched by 262,000 viewers.