Abidal has been ruled out due to injury as Edmilson returns.


The brilliant French defender took a blow to his left foot and will be out of the Villarreal game, while Edmilson has been certified fully fit to play against the yellow submarines who have had a very good record against Barca, having defeated the Blaugrana in the last two matches both teams have played at the El Madrigal. FC barcelona want to put an end to this trend, and this is the best time to do it as the semi-final ticket of the Cop del Rey is at stake. The men to do it for Barca include:


Valdés, Pinto, Milito, Márquez, Puyol, Xavi, Gudjohnsen, Iniesta, Zambrotta, Henry, Edmilson, Giovani, Messi, Deco, Thuram, Oleguer, Bojan, Sylvinho.


Ronaldinho is back in training, but did not train with the rest of the squad as he continued with specific therapy and training to address his particular situation. Three young talents, Pedrito, Víctor Sánchez and Busquets were also present in training, all three coming from the junior team, Barca B.


The match against Villarreal takes place at El Madrigal on January 24th. Kick-off time is 22:00 hours local time.

Watch the great decider from Thierry Henry as Barca roll over Racing Santander. Also see Thierry Henry dedicate the goal to Valdes by rolling up his shorts.


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

FC BARCELONA - RACING SANTANDER 1 - 0 ( 1 - 0 )
Stadium: Camp Nou, Barcelona

Capacity : 98,772
Attendance : 60,039

Referee: Luis Medina Cantalejo


Goal:


1-0 Henry ( 30' )


Cautions:


Yellow Card:


FC Barcelona: Deco ( 83' )


Racing Santander: Luis Fernandez ( 23' ), Jordi ( 48' )


Corners:


FC Barcelona 5 - Racing Santander 2


Shots on Goal ( On Target ):


FC Barcelona 12 ( 2 )- Racing Santander 9 ( 1 )


Possession:


FC Barcelona 67% - Racing Santander 33%


Line Up:


FC Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdes, Sylvinho ( Abidal, 82' ), Milito, Puyol, Zambrotta, Deco, Gudjohnsen ( Marquez, 58' ), Iniesta, Giovani ( Messi, 66' ), Henry, Bojan
Manager: Frank Rijkaard


Racing Santander(4-4-2): Coltorti, Sergio Sanchez, Cesar Navas, Oriol, Luis Fernandez, Tchite ( Pinillos, 76' ) Serrano ( Colsa, 62' ), Jorge Lopez, Duscher, Jordi, Bolado ( Pablo Alvarez, 46' )

Manager: Marcelino Garcia Toral


Video Highlights:

Victor Valdes is alert and ready for the challanges ahead. This is seen in his recent interview.


Safe hands, Victor Valdes, who has an excellent record in maintaining long hours without conceding goals, has offered his views on FC Barcelona's new signing Jose Manuel Pinto and also on other issues such as the highly rated Barca defence, Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas and other happenings affecting the Blaugrana. Valdes, who is great friends with French goal king Thierry Henry, had some words for his friend who dedicated the goal scored against Racing Santander to Victor Valdes. In response, Valdes said:

I already knew he would celebrate it like that. He’s always joking about that and he’s a great team-mate.

Valdes then added jokingly:

I would have preferred him not to score !

Read the interesting interview below:


Valdes Happy With Goal Dedication By Thierry Henry.

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

FC BARCELONA - RACING SANTANDER 1 - 0 ( 1 - 0 )
Stadium: Camp Nou, Barcelona

Capacity : 98,772
Attendance : 60,039

Referee: Luis Medina Cantalejo


Goal:


1-0 Henry ( 30' )


Cautions:


Yellow Card:


FC Barcelona: Deco ( 83' )


Racing Santander: Luis Fernandez ( 23' ), Jordi ( 48' )


Corners:


FC barcelona 5 - Racing Santander 2


Shots on Goal ( On Target ):


FC Barcelona 12 ( 2 )- Racing Santander 9 ( 1 )


Posession:


FC Barcelona 67% - Racing Santander 33%


Line Up:


FC Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdes, Sylvinho ( Abidal, 82' ), Milito, Puyol, Zambrotta, Deco, Gudjohnsen ( Marquez, 58' ), Iniesta, Giovani ( Messi, 66' ), Henry, Bojan
Manager: Frank Rijkaard


Racing Santander(4-4-2): Coltorti, Sergio Sanchez, Cesar Navas, Oriol, Luis Fernandez, Tchite ( Pinillos, 76' ) Serrano ( Colsa, 62' ), Jorge Lopez, Duscher, Jordi, Bolado ( Pablo Alvarez, 46' )

Manager: Marcelino Garcia Toral


Match Report:


Barca entered into the match with a lot of pressure, especially after learning that Real Madrid were already two goals up away to Atletico, which meant a ten point gap had been opened at the top of the table. A win now meant more than it had even been considered before the match started.


The Catalan giants breathed down heavily on the resolute Santander squad, who held on and absorbed all the attacks that were thrown at them by the eager hosts. Thierry Henry and Zambrotta were the early goal seekers, as Zambrotta kept up pressure by running deep into the Racing half and looking great in display. A cross that was floated to Thierry Henry in the 20th minute was nearly in, after the French man headed just wide, and then Sylvinho emerged from the left flank to flick another crosss to Bojan Krkic, who narrowly missed the opener for Barca. It was only a matter of time. Ten minutes after his headed miss, Thierry Henry returned and this time, got the header right on target. Iniesta sent a well delivered corner into the Santander area, and the ball bounced of a bewildered Racing defence to go Henry's way. The goal king wasted no time to nod home for 1-0 to FC Barcelona.


The remaining fifteen minutes of the half didn't produce any more goals, but saw one half-hearted attempt by Racing to even things. The game also started in the second half in much the same way as it had started in the first, but this time, the visitors were not able to hold on without being broken for too long. Deco sent a fierce shot which the Racing keeper was at his best to save and Gudjohnsen soon raced down to meet a pass, and the ice man volleyed a ball that was luckily deflected away from goal. Santander also responded with close misses of their own through Oscar Serrano, exposing some lax in the Barca defence and prompting coach Rijkaard in the 58th minute to bring on Marquez who came in for Gudjohnsen in order to solidly the defensive midfield area.


FC Barcelona maintained control of the game, with Lionel Messi coming in at 66 minutes on the clock to replace Giovani dos Santos in the to mark the return of the Argentine magician since his injury in the 3-0 smashing of Valencia. Messi was immediately running at the Santander defence, being called of by the referee for an offside and also upsetting the defence with god football and another chance that the visitors had to foul the Argentine whizzkid. Sensing clear and present danger, Racing's Coach Marcelino quickly withdrew most of his men and formed a tight defence wall that stayed guard till the end of the match, but not without a surprise counter attack from the scared visitors in what would have been a heart breaking equalizer. In the closing seconds, Jordi managed to head narrowly off target as Zambrotta bravely kept the ball out of danger to ensure Barca secured all three points at stake.


My Comments:


Great football played, though not the best that we have seen from Barca this season. Zambrotta was great and in top form while once again, Thierry Henry proved he was simply a master in what he knows how to do best - good football and good goals. It was good to see Lionel Messi back in action and still with the threatening form he had when he left. Madrid may have won 2-0 at the Calderon, but FC Barcelona look more likely to maintain the winning streak as the league takes an all win dimension for the two top teams.


Barca will need to step up their game against Villarreal as the yellow submarines host the Blaugrana in the Copa del Rey quarter final first leg. It was Villarreal who beat Barca 3-1 few months back in the La Liga, and the match will be played at the same venue. Villarreal also showed warning signals by thumping Valencia 3-0 same time as Barca were beating Racing Santander 1-0. A lot of work needs to be done, even as the Barca stars say they prefer results to good football these days.

FC Barcelona see off defending champions Sevilla.


Match Report: Tuesday 15/01/2008 22:00 hours, Copa Del Rey, Round 1/16 ( 2nd Leg )

FC BARCELONA - SEVILLA CF 0 - 0
Stadium: Camp Nou, Barcelona

Capacity : 98,772
Attendance : 75,917

Referee: A. Perez Bull


Goals:


None


Cautions:


Yellow Card:


FC Barcelona - Dos Santos ( 46' ), Marquez ( 54' )


Sevilla CF - Mosquera ( 54' ), Duda ( 91' )


Line-up :


FC Barcelona (4-4-3): Valdes, Zambrotta, Puyol, Milito, Sylvinho, Marquez, Xavi, Gudjohnsen ( Bojan, 50' ), Iniesta, Dos Santos ( Deco, 68' ), Henry
Manager: Frank Rijkaard


Sevilla(4-4-2): De Sanctis, Alves, Mosquera, Dragutinovic, Adriano, Renato, Poulsen, Navas, Capel ( Alfaro, 81' ), Chevanton ( Duda, 74' ), Fabiano ( Kerzhakov, 68' )

Manager: Manolo Jiménez


Match Report:


Hostilities began very early in a match that did not produce any goals, but was more interesting than some matches that did.


In the very first minute, Dani Alves delivered a cross that Ernesto Chevantón connected with, but this narrowly missed target. Barca responded with an Iniesta effort in the 4th minute. The creative one curled a ball that sailed across the far post of Sevilla. Iniesta returned in the 17th minute to set up Thierry Henry, who kicked the ball a litttle too hard, sending it wide.


Sevilla closed up the middle, as the visitors feared an incursion into attack by Barca. Fabiano made a brief scare when he nodded a corner over at the Blaugrana goal area, while Eidur Gudjohnsen rattled Sevilla keeper Morgan De Sanctis' with a stormy shot from 25 yards, ensuring that the first half ended goalless.


On resumption of play, the coaches kept their first-half players and pattern intact as no early chnages were made. Dani Alves again caused early scare by testing Valdes, but the Barca keeper did well to put the ball into his safe custody. A change did come in the 55th minute when hardworking Gudjohnsen was replaced by sleeky Bojan Krkic, who immediately added more vitality and creativity to the game. Giovani was also replaced by Deco who was just returning from injury.


FC Barcelona continued to dominate the game, with some good football and scares coming from Thierry Henry and Bojan, who the Sevilla defenders tried to cut off. The Blaugrana were however a bit too relaxed and unmindful of their defence, not until Sevilla had another surprise in store for Barca, as an 82nd minute free-kick shot by Dani Alves rattled Valdes, who spurn the ball unto the Barca cross bar and away from danger. A disaster was averted. However, Sevilla surged forward again and this time, Navas got the ball into the Barca net, but the effort was disallowed as Duda was well placed in an undeniable ofside position.


Bojan signed off the night with an effort that would have resulted into goal, but the young goal machine was not lucky to his angular effort go in. The match ended goalless as the hosts, FC Barcelona knocked out the defending champions Sevilla on away goal rule after a 1-1 draw in Seville during the first leg.


My Comments:


FC Barcelona confirmed their superiority over Sevilla CF, as the defending champions of the Kings Cup bowed to the team of the moment, a star-studded and revived Barca squad. The quarter finals is Barca's next port of call, and it looks more and more likely that the Blaugrana will get to the final...and eventually win the trophy.