FC Barcelona vs Real Valladoid Preview

A draw against FC Basel at home is not at all a disaster, especially when the team is virtually assured of a 2nd round place and the team does not star much of the regualar team members. But going by last season's performance Barca fans are more than a bit cautious. They have seen that FC Barcelona tend to continue with this disappointing runs and sincerely want to get things straight as early as possible. Guardiola could not hope for a better team to get things back on track than Real Valladoid. They might have surprised all by defeating Sevilla last week, but their performance away from home are really suspect.Guardiola have once again delayed the naming of squad till the morning of match. This time this could be to know who all are completely fit. Keita has been given the "All Clear" by the medical staff for today's match. Guardiola could be in for some confusion over the starting eleven.

Valdes as usual is expected to guard the goal. The defense should be made up of Puyol, Marquez, Alves and Sylvinho. Guardiola might be tempted to put Puyol on the far left of the pitch; but it is better to try out Sylvinho now as Abidal is sure to miss atleast thre weeks of action. The midfield would be ideally made up of Busquests, Xavi and Toure. Victor Sanchez also could be slotted in place of Busquests inorder to give more attacking thrust to the team. There is no doubt of who would make up the front three, it has to be Henry, Eto and Messi. FC Barcelona fans who would be at the Camp Nou and all over the world would be expecting to see a much better display from their team compared to the disappointing performance against FC Basel. I predict FC Barcelona winning this encounter by three goals with a scoreline of 4-1.