More Records Beckons, FC Barcelona vs Atletcio Preview

FC Barcelona, when they meet Atletico Madrid in Camp Nou on tomorrow night will be playing for more than three points. Last week FC Barcelona has equalled the record for the most consecutive victories in La Liga with a 3-0 victory against Hercules. They have now equalled the record so long solely held by the legendary 1960- Real Madrid side. Javier Mascherano in the build up to this match has said that their focus lies away from that record. You have to admit that he is being a bit modest. This will bve one record we, the Barca fans want the most. Atletcio Madrid, Barca's chosen opponent for this night has beens truggling off-late. They have been struggling in recent weeks to win games and that has already raised the hopes in every Barca fans. But we should always remember that Atletico is always dangerous when they are pretty muych down. But they have struggled in recent times at Camp Nou and the last time we met themat the Vicente Calderon we handed them a 2-1 defeat. That match will be more remembered for Tomas Ujfalusi's cowardly tackle on Lionel Messi.

Guardiola has almost the entire sqaud barring Puyol and Jeffren available for selection. Iniesta is declared fit for this game and in most probability should start. Guardiola is expected to field a very strong line-up for this match. In the absence of Puyol, Abidal is expected to pair up with Pique once again at the centre of defense. Alves and Maxwell expected to fill the full back shoes. The midfield and the attack will have the same old look. Busquets, Iniesta and Xavi in the midfield and Messi, Villa and Pedro in the attack. Atletico has lost five match in trot in League and Copa. Barca has been in exceptional form recently and should be firm favourite to win this match. The chance to write history should motivate our boys more and so I predict yet another manita for tomorrow night. But the most important thing I like to see is the reception of Ujfalusi by the Camp Nou crowd, its going to be a hell of a reception.

Time to Get the Revenge - Hercules vs Barca Preview

FC Barcelona will be looking for a perfect revenge in the match against Hercules

FC Barcelona will be travelling to Alicante for their La Liga engagement against Hercules CF. Nobody would have imagined this at the start of the campaign. Twenty match into this season, the only team which has managed to defeat this Barcelona side in the League was the newly promoted Hercules. Hercules played in the first division in the 1996-97 season last time and surprisingly they won both their encounters with FC Barcelona that season. Those defeat cost us the title to Real madrid that season. Barca will be making sure that a repeat of that does not happen this time around. Not only they will be making sure of that, but also would love to extract revenge for that minor blip at the very start of the season. But one thing is for sure, Madrid is very much expecting Hercules to do them a big favour. To make matters worse for the Capital side our flying right back, Dani Alves has been declared fit and has been included in the squad. The entire squad list is Valdés, Pinto, Alves, Adriano, Piqué, Milito, Fontàs, Abidal, Maxwell, Mascherano, Busquets, Keita, Xavi, Iniesta, Afellay, Messi, Villa, Pedro and Nolito.

Puyol has been ruled out because of injury and Bojan is also missing from the sqaud as he is down with a stomach bug. Nolito and Fontas has been added to the squad from the Barca B team. Barca team in full would be very motivated for this encounter. As Guardiola said in the press conference we cannot let giving Real Madrid any glimmer of hope. Hercules coach has expressed his belief in defeating this Barca side agian, but an inform Iniesta, messi, Xavi, Villa and Pedro could be too hot to handle for him. In the absence of Puyol, Guardiola is expected to line up Alves, Abidal, Pique and Maxwell in the defense infront of Valdes. The rest of the line-up is not expected to change much with Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta in midfield and Villa, Messi and Pedro as the front trio. This could be a bit tricky travel for us. But we can expect our boys to be extremely motivated. I would predict 3-0 victory for us. ok, that's my brain speaking but my heart is saying - Give me another Manita.

Real Betis vs Barca, Copa Del Rey QF 2nd Leg Preview

The 5-0 victory in the first leg has made tomorrow's second leg of academic interest. But it could be pretty important for the fringe players in the side. Guardiola is expected to rest majority of his stars in the match in Sevilla. Messi who was down with flu has recovered and has made into the squad. the entire squad list is Valdés, Pinto, Adriano, Milito, Piqué, Bartra, Maxwell, Abidal, Mascherano, Keita, Sergio, Iniesta, Xavi, Afellay, Jeffren, Bojan, Messi, Villa and Pedro. Puyol has been left out as a precaution and Alves is injured and will miss this match. The surprise ommision is Thiago from the list. Everyone was expecting him to make the list to travel to Sevilla. Surprisingly only one Barca B player has been called in for this match and that is Batra.

Real Betis did put up a spirited fight at the Camp Nou in the first leg of the tie. For that case it will be foolish to take them lightly. But the 5-0 scoreline would be too difficult for the second division leaders to overcome. No one expects to put five goals past this Barca side without conceding an equal amount. But with nothing to lose and only pride at stake, we can expect Real Betis to give a final shot at it. That should sound as good news to the likes of Bojan Krkic and company. An attacking side should open up some neat space for our players to exploit and Bojan definitely has to get back to scoring goals again.

Guardiola most probably will start with Messi in the front trio along with both Bojan and Jeffren. Messi should be looking to add some goals into his tally and leap forward in the Pichichi list. When you get a second division opponent, why not make best use of it. Mascerano should be back as the traditional defensive midfielder partnering Keita and most probably Afellay in the middle. Afellay did impress everyone in the ten minutes he played on Sunday and every Barca fan will be looking to see how he perform across 90 minutes. The defnse should see Milito partnering Abidal in the middle along with Maxwell and Adriano. As usual Pinto is certain to take his position under the bar.

Staying Alive in Copa del Rey

This has to be the most toughest match FC Barcelona has faced till now. Yes even bigger than the Clasico. This is the first Do or Die match we have to encounter this season. The home leg of ended in a goal less draw which perfectly places this tie in the balance. To an extent we have to say that Bilbao has a slight upper hand coming into this leg. They will have the home crowd wooing for them and also San Mames in recent times has been a tough place for us to visit. FC Barcelona but will be buoyed by the fact that they have won at San Mames earlier this season. Also with Messi back in the squad we should be confident to beat Athletic Bilbao tomorrow night.

The squad which will travel to play at San Mames has been announced - Valdés, Pinto, Alves, Adriano, Puyol, Piqué, Milito, Abidal, Busquets, Mascherano, Thiago, Xavi, Iniesta, Keita, Afellay, Jeffren, Bojan, Messi, Villa and Pedro. Usually Guardiola prefer to start with some B team players in the Copa Del Rey, not in this match. he has to go with almost his best eleven. Messi, Villa and Bojan should form the front three. May be many will vouch to have Pedro included, but I believe Bojan could be a totally different playing alongside Villa and Messi. Afellay has been included in the squad but it is difficult to see our midfield containing anyone other than Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets. The centre of defense should see Pique and Puyol back with Alves on right and maybe Adriano on the left. And as usual in the case of King's cup, Pinto would probably start this match.

This one as explained is going to be a very tough match. Bilbao will be opting for the same tacti they employed in the first leg. They would look to populate the box with players and keep their shape and try to keep their shape. So it become very essential for Guardiola to start with Messi, Xavi and Iniesta along with Villa. The best time to catch them could be very ealry on when they are trying to settle into their game. An early goal would see Barca emerging comfortable winners. Since this is a cup tie and is the deciding match, we can expect Bilbao to open up a towards the end. So patience also is going to be a very valuable weapon. Bilabo may have stiffled us at Camp Nou, but I don't expect them to do the same once again. I will go for a 2-1 victory for us.

FC Barcelona vs Levante Preview

Levante could be the perfect team to start another wonderful year in the right way. The last match Levante played was against Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey, and that did end up with an 8-0 drubbing. Lionel Messi is not available for this match, but I don't think that is going to bother anyone. We have most of the team available except Messi and Puyol, and Pique due to suspension. Milito and Jeffren are officially declared fit for this match. With Puyol and Pique unavaillable we have to restructure the centre of the defense. With Abidal and Milito we have a very good centre half pair, but Levante could be the perfect time to try one of those kids from the Cantera. Everyone was expecting Fontas to give some time in this match, but Batra was the one who trained with the first team. Meanwhile the new signing, Ibrahim Afellay is ineligible to debut in this match. His debut most probably will happen at San Mames.

Even with Messi unavailable we have a very good attacking trio available for selection. Bojan krkic was sensational in the Catalunya versus Honduras friendly. So I expect him to start this match along with Villa and Pedro. The midfield should have Xavi, Iniesta and Mascherano. There is a case of having Keita in there, but I believe we should start this match with the strongest midfield. I have said it in the past, Guardiola should start Batra along with Milito at the centre of defense, with Alves and Maxwell performing the defensive duties. It really bad for Levante to come to Camp Nou after the 8-0 demolition at the hands off Real Madrid. But tomorrow night also is not going to be different. We may not score as much as Real Madrid as we always look a bit rusty after a break. But I still will go with a 3-0 victory.

FC Barcelona vs Rubin Kazan Preview

FC Barcelona would be looking for their first win against Rubin Kazan

Having already qualified as the Group leaders, FC Barcelona's final group match against Rubin Kazan usually should invoke only academic interest. But I doubt it. Guardiola might be taking this test a bit serious than other thinks. I mean, Rubin Kazan is that one challenge in which Guardiola never managed to be on the right side. In their three meetings we have 2 draws and one defeat. So that should make Guardiola a bit more motivated. And more over, we may not get a much better chance to beat Rubin Kazan that tomorrow night. To be honest, Rubin Kazan has been extremely hard for us to break down in the last couple of meetings. They usually line up with a 5-4-1 or 4-5-1 formation against us and we had found it time and again difficult to break. BUt tomorrow they themselves are going to be in a dileama. Rubin Kazan's victory at home against FC Copenhagen means that they now have a realistic chance of qualifying for the second round. They are currently in six points and Copenhagen in seven points. A victory of Copenhagen could break Rubin's hopes, but I still believe they will go for a win and hope for Pananthanaikos to do a favour to them. Now any team chasing for a victory is a very good news for Barca, actually extremely good news for Barca.

According to the offficial site - Alves, Xavi, Villa, Pedro and Keita all are rested for this encounter. Keita was expected to start in this match, but he did experience a slight problem with his left knee and is rested as a precautionary measure. Pep Guardiola has called upon five Barca B players for thsi clash - Marc Bartra, Andreu Fontàs, Thiago Alcántara, Jonathan dos Santos and Víctor Vázquez. But the big question will be to see whether Guardiola will start with Messi in the line-up. My call is that Messi would probably start in the match and should look to form an attacking partnership with both Bojan and Jeffren. This could be an interesting test for Bojan. He did look good in recent matches and this could be a very good test. Mascherano is a definite to start and may partner Iniesta and Thiago in the midfield. The defense could see one of the youngster - Batra or Fontas to partner Pique in centre of defense. My pick will be Batra. The full backs most probably would be Maxwell and Adriano. This is going to be a very, very difficult match. Rubin Kazan would be highly motivated and our boys could seriously ease a bit after the recent tough encounters. But there are kids in the line-up who would like to prove their importance in this match. I would seriously love to see we finally registering a victory against Rubin Kazan, but I doubt that is going to happen. I predict a 1-1 draw yet again.

Osasuna Shows their True Colours ahead of Barca Visit

Camacho and Osasuna looks to avoid facing Barca at any cost

I was in no mood to write a preview after the Monday night's clasico. But many of you may not be aware of the issues surrounding the Osasuna clash. The Osasuna vs Barca match was shcheduled to start tonight at 8pm. But a sudden strike of air traffic controllers have put Barca's plan in disarray. Sometime before it was confirmed through official channels that the game was postponed and will be held at 5pm. But it looks like Osasuna players, fans and club are terrified by the prospect of playing us and will do anything to get away from that. The Osasuna players have refused to play tomorrow and is looking to invoke the withdrawal rule to get three points against us. It looks like this club is also funded by one from the Capital. Barca's delay has been due to unforseeable circumastances and their request to play tomorrow is justifiable. But it looks like Osasuna is a club full of cowards and will do anything to get away from a tough challenge. As it stands, Barca has already started for Osasuna match and most probably will be reaching there at 9pm. If the rumours has to be believed then we most probably will have a match at 10pm. Our boys most probably have to get down the coach and head straight into the field. This is going to be very tough, but I hope our team is able to teach these bast**rds some lesson about dignity.
Latest Rumours suggesting that we will lose points if we are not at the stadium by 20:30.

Latest Update : Players are warming up at this moment. Looks determined.

Watch out this post of latest updates.

El Calsico Part 1 Preview

FC Barcelona will move to top if they beat Real Madrid

FC Barcelona would be looking to register a fifth consecutive victory against arch rivals Real Madrid when they host Madrid on Monday. Internet is already buzzing with discussion, debates, puncches and counter punches about El Clasico. Both sides have looked in top form coming into this clash and the match does gives out a promise of lots of goals. FC Barcelona is currently trailing Real Madrid by a point in the table and would be looking to go on top with this match. Guardiola who hasn't lost a single Clasico as a manager would be keen in continuing his winning record. Like last season, La Liga this season would also be decided by what happens in the two Clasico matches and that explains the fixation with these two clashes.

Guardiola is expected to line-up his best eleven for this clash at Camp Nou. That means we should have a dfeense with Abidal, Pique, Puyol and Alves. There could be a trendency to use Maxwell or Adriano as left back after seeing a flying left back's impact on the game. But as I explained in my previous post Builing Up To the Clasic, Real Madrid is an extremely efficient counter attacking team and it could do us a lot of good to have a left back who is more known for his defensive qualities. The rest of line-up is basically child's play. The midfield should see Iniesta, Xavi and Busquets. Meanwhile Messi, Villa and Pedro should form the attack.

With Real Madrid and FC Barcelona emerging are the only genuine title contenders once again this season, we have to make the most of our home Clasico. In Spain in case of a tie, the head on head record is taken into account. Most of the England based and Madrid based journalist are predicting a Real Madrid victory. They did predict the same last season also, but that didn't change anything. Mourinho has already said that this will a real classic. Going by his habit that could be his way of saying that Real Madrid will defend deep and try to catch Barca on the counter. That could see either one of Ozil or Maria being dropped for Diara. That means Real Madrid could be looking to catch us on the counter.

Most of the Real Madrid's goal this season has come on counter attacks. And this is where they could hurt Barca on Monday. That means the role of Busquets could achieve paramount importance in the context of regaining possession. As Guardiola used to say, we play the best when we have the ball and it has to be Busquet's and the midfield's job to regain and retain possession quickly. That shoudl ease the pressure on the defense.

This match will be decided by how well we control the match. If our midfield impose themselves from the begining, we could easily win this even though they still would be looking to attack us on counter. Our high intense pressing could be key in dominating this mathc. If you look at the Milan vs Madrid match at the San Siro, a constantly pegging Inzaghi caused two error s from this defense. So there seeiming unpenetrable defense(as per English commentators) can be put under serious pressure with our pressing. With 96,000 fans shouting Barca should be able to break this Madrid side down. I will go for a 2-1 victory for us.

FC Barcelona vs Villareal Preview

Make Shift Barca defense ready to face Villareal

Defensive worries would be troubling Guardiola while he prepares his team to face the stern challenge of Villareal. With Milito being ruled out for six weeks and Pique being suspended, Guardiola has to turn to a make shift defense for facing a high flying Villareal team. Villareal currently lies in third place and could provide Barca with their toughest test since the start of the season. There are rumours of Marc Batra partnering Puyol in defense. Honestly against a team like Villareal, Guardiol is not going to do that. He may still get a start against Almeria, but not against Villareal. That could be suicidal. With Chygrinskiy and Toure shipped out and Caceres loned out, Abidal is the only choice left to join Puyol. Abidal has played a couple of times at centre back in the start of season. His lack of positioning has caused numerous trouble in those matches and could once again be exposed tomorrow night. Loaning out Caceres now proves to be a very stupid decision as we have no proper back up for situation like this. Guardiola did point that the reinforcement could come from the B team but has never shown courage to nurture thos kids till now.

Barca would be once again looking to their midfield and attack line-ups to see the defense safe. Iniesta and Xavi has to partner in the midfield as they both could dictate possession and could easily take the pressure of a make-shift central defense. Apart from Pique, Guardiola has his full strength starting eleven at his disposal. That could see Alves, Puyol, Pique and Maxwell in defense. Keita also could be tried as a left back as he could give more strength in defense. The midfield must be consisting of Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets. Any change in midfield, we could be in for some real trouble tomorrow night. Barca fans would be hoping that Villa continue his new found goal scoring form tomorrow night also. Messi and Pedro could form the trio with Villa upfront.

Barca has been a bit off coulour against smaller teams this season, but against genuine contenders we have been majestic. May as someone pointed out this team always need a bit of challenge to find that extra motivation. If our players can keep up that spirit we could be in for a comfortable victory here. With Clasico being days away, the last thing we require is to have the point difference increasing. So this becomes a must win match for us. My prediction will be for a 2-1 victory.

AD Ceuta vs Barca Preview

FC Barcelona will start their campaign to re-gain the Copa Del Rey tomorrow against third division side Ceuta. Guardiola has rested a host of first team starters for this away match. Valdés, Alves, Piqué, Busquets, Iniesta, Messi and Villa has been rested, meanwhile Xavi and Milito are still continuing their recovery programme. Guardiola has announced a young squad which would make the trip. The squad list is Pinto, Puyol, Abidal, Maxwell, Adriano, Mascherano, Keita, Bojan, Jeffren, Pedro, Miño, Bartra, Fontàs, Thiago, Dos Santos and Nolito.

This will be an ideal chance for the young guns in the team to make their claim for more regular first team action. All the eyes will be on one man on particular, Bojan Krkic. It is sure that he will be leading the attack against the third division side. Most probably Jeffren and Pedro is expected to join him in attack. The midfield should have a new form with both Dos Santos and Thiago joining hands with Mascherano. Keita could be brought in if the situation demands it. The defense most probably would see the combination of Bartra and Abidal along with Adriano and Fontas. This match is going to be a very tricky but the experience our youngsters gained by playing in the second division should see them through clearly.

FC Barcelona vs FC Copenhagen Preview

FC Barcelona will be hosting Group D leaders FC Copenhagen tomorrow night at the Camp Nou. FC København has found themselves clear on the top of group with two wins from their two matches. When the draw was made everyone expected FC Barcelona and Rubin Kazan to go throigh this group. I thought FC København was the real weak link, but they have proven me wrong. Following the inability to win in Moscow, this is a must win match for us. A failure to win this one complicates the entire qualifying campaign. Guardiola has plenty of injury woriies to ponder on. Gabriel Milito has been ruled out for two weeks, Xavi's injury most propbably will see him miss this clash and there is also doubt about Puyol's participation. If Puyol misses out on today's match, we could see once again Abidal moving into central defense. Add to that the average form of Pique in last few matches, it is definitely a worrying prospect. Xavi's injury looks more serious for me and it may not be a bad idea to rest him for a couple of matches. Iniesta has been in good form recently and should be able to run the midfield alone.

FC Copenhagen poses an Unknown Challenge to Barca

FC Barcelona players should be in the ideal mood for this match following that great come-back victory against Valencia. But they have to make sure that the team from the second half turns up in this match. Puyol may be having some injury concern but I don't see him missing this match. So we should have the usual central defnsive pairing of Puyol and Pique. Alves and Abidal should make up the rest of defense. The midfield with the absence of Xavi has to be remodelled a bit. Iniesta is expected to drop into midfield and most probably Keita and Mascherano will join him in midfield. The front trio should have the familiar look of Villa, Messi and Pedro. This is going to be a tricky match as we have not much idea about the opponents. But still I believe that they will play a much more open game than Rubin Kazan. That means we would have more space to exploit and should se ourselves winning this. I predict a 3-0 victory for us.

FC Barcelona vs Valencia Preview

Any other season, I would have preferred the prospect of facing Valencia at home over a clash at the Mestella. But with our home form this season, I am not so sure about this one. To make matters worse this one comes straight after an international break. Our performances after a break has always been a head-ache. There is no doubt where the footbaling world will be concentrated this weekend. But I would be keeping a close eye to see how the newly laid pitch behaves. The Camp Nou pitch has been a big dissappointment since the start of this season and the Mallorca clash saw the worst of it. Luckily the staffs used the international break to lay the new pitch and I hope it holds firm. As for Valencia is concerned, they have their own issues to prove. This is their first test to see whetehr they can realistically carry on the hope of winning the titles. This will be a match that could make them from Pretenders to contenders. Valencia's last visit to Cam Nou ended with Messi bagging a hat-trick and Barca fans will be hoping once again he repeat the performance. David Villa is declared fit to face Valencia but Guardiola still has to worry about the fitness of Xavi Hernandez.

FC Barcelona vs Valencia clashes is never short of action

Eventhough its pretty early in the season, courtesy of our poor home persons we are in a position where we have to win this encounter. A failure tomorrow will see once again our opponents moving ahead of us and that will increase the pressure on the team. On the positive we have done really well when posed with greater challenges this season. So we can expect a tough but hard performance from the team. Considering the importance of this match, I am pretty sure Guardiola will put both Xavi and Iniesta in the midfield along with Busquets as defensive midfielder. The defense is expected to have that familiar look of Puyol, Pique, Alves and Abidal. Pedro has been back from injury but I don't expect him to start. That should give Bojan one more chance along with Messi and Villa. This is going to be a tough match but we do have the character to win this one. Above all we have Messi, Xavi and Iniesta. I will go for a tight 2-1 victory for us.

FC Barcelona vs Mallorca Preview

FC Barcelona will be missing two of their biggest stars while they prepare to take on Real Mallorca at the Camp Nou. Xavi hernandez, Barca Vice-Captain has been injured and will miss this match. David Villa also will be missing this mathc courtesy of the needless red card he picked up against Athletic Bilbao. FC Barcelona's title defense will be officially back on track after that dissappointing lose against Hercules. We had two very difficult away match after that and the team has made us all proud with very hard working performances. Mallorca's last visit to Camp Nou ended for them in a 4-2 defeat. This time around also it is going to be a very difficult travel for them. At home they had been brilliant this season so far, but the same cannot be said about their away matches. Barca meanwhile will be looking to get back to winning ways after their draw at Rubin kazan. That draw was never a bad result, but still the momentum of winning has to be regained.

With the absence of Xavi and Villa Guardiola will be looking to make some changes in the usual line up. Two Barcelona B team members, Nolito and Thiago were part of the squad that trained today. The expectation is that these two kids will be part of the squad which will face Real Mallorca. With Xavi out, Iniesta is expected to move back to the midfield. Most probably he will be pairing Keita and Busquets in the midfield. There is a high chance that Messi may move into the centre forward role with Villa absent. Bojan may occupy the left flank and Pedro the righ flank. The defense should see the pairing of Milito and Pique giving Puyol some rest and Abidal and Alves on the flanks. This one should see a comfortable victory for us. My prediction is a 3-0 victory for us.

Rubin Kazan vs Barca Champions League Preview

The name Rubin Kazan does not invoke happy memories for Barca fans. Last season, they were the one of the few teams who managed to gain an upperhand against us. Even against Inter we had a record of two wins, 1 defeat and a draw. Rubin Kazan visited Camp Nou shocking us all with a victory, and the return visit to Russia ended with a goalless draw. That draw did raised doubts about our qualification chances. In the end Barca came out of the group on top is a totally different matter. Lionel Messi who was in doubt for this clash has got the all clear from the medical team. He has been included in the squad but is definite to start the match only from the substitute bench. It would be better if he does not play in this match. Guardiola would be pretty much happy with the effort put by his team at Athletic Bilbao. This is the third extremely difficult away visit we are making within the last two weeks. First it was to Atletico Madrid, then it was to Bilbao and we all hope this vist also end up with a similiar result. Rubin Kazan will present a considerably difficult challenge to Guardiola in terms of tactics. They are definitely going to be more physical than any of the opponents we have faced this season. More over Guardiola also hasn't have registerd a victory against them.

Guardiola has announced the list of 19 players who would make the trip to Kazan - Valdés, Pinto, Alves, Piqué, Puyol, Milito, Maxwell, Abidal, Busquets, Mascherano, Keita, Xavi, Iniesta, Thiago, Pedro, Jeffren, Bojan, Villa and Messi. Abidal and Messi has returned into the squad meanwhile Adriano is missing due to injury. Guardiola might opt for Abidal instead of Maxwell to give some aerial cover. It is no secret that we had serious trouble dealing with aerial balls in our last match. That means we will mostly back to our traditional backline of Alves, Puyol, Pique and Milito. The rest of the line up should remain unchanged with Busquets, Keita and Xavi in midfield; Villa, Iniesta and Pedro upfront. Rubin Kazan currently lies second in Russian league and would be quite a tough opponent to crack. Our first match victory gives us some leverage and it won't be abad think to settle for a draw in this match. Iniesta's and Xavi's recent form is good news for Barca but I still think both the teams will settle for a goalless draw this time again.

Atletic Bilbao vs Barca Preview

Tough Job ahead at San Mames

FC Barcelona will be looking to continue with their winning streak continuiing when they visit San Mames on saturday. Our last visit to San Mames did end up in a 1-1 draw, but the fans will be hoping this time the score resembles something like Bilbao's visit to Camp Nou. That match we won 4-1 (FC Barcelona -4, Athletci Bilbao - 1), with Bojan Krkic scoring twice. It was from that game Bojan started to appear as a genuine option for Guardiola last season. The kid will be hoping and definitely need a similiar effect from tomorrow's clash. He has been below par in last two matches and had to start turning it around as soon as possible. Again it has to be seen whether he get any playing time in this match. Athletic Bilbao currently lies at the seventh position with just two points behind us. With only just four match into the season, those statistics doesn't mean anything. The way this season is shaping up again it will be a dog fight between Barca and Madrid and for that every point matters the most.

Guardiola has announced the squad that will be travelling to Bilbao. Abidal and Messi are the absentee from the squad. Thiago has been a surprise inclusion. The entire squad list is Valdés, Pinto, Adriano, Maxwell, Alves, Piqué, Puyol, Milito, Xavi, Sergio Busquets, Iniesta, Mascherano, Jeffren, Bojan, Pedro, Villa, Keita and Thiago. Guardiola will go with his strongest defense in this match with Alves, Pique, Puyol and Maxwell. Busquest once again may play the modern libero role. I have serious doubts about this new tactics. Ok, it's good against team which have very good attacking front line. But it won't be that easy against teams who can press in midfield. The best way to break such a tactis isto press Xavi hard, that will leave Xavi with only one outlet and that is Dani Alves on right. That will neautrilize Xavi as an attacking threat. Something Inter Milan did well last season at San Siro. I would expect Iniesta and Xavi to form the midfield in this match. The frontline would be for me Pedro, Bojan and Villa. Many would like to see Bojan off the line, but I still believe he can turn things around. I would predict a very tight game but I am confident Iniesta and Co pulling it off. I predict a 2-0 victory for us. Meanwhile the news is that messi is recovering weel and may make the trip to Rubin Kazan.

Atletico Madrid vs FC Barcelona Preview

FC Barcelona would be looking to avoid a second succesive league defeat tomorrow when they face Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon. This trip for sometime have been a very unpleasant one. The last two league visit to Vicente Calederon ended up with away defeats. So the chances of ending up on Sunday night with two successive league defeats is pretty high. Atletico Madrid is currently is lying at the top of the table and I have to admit that this is the best Atletico side for sometime. But we still have to wait a bit to consider them as genuine title contender. Away matches against everyone has been always the problem for Atletico and the mid-week's Europa League encounter was no different. Atletico Madrid usually stumbles early on the season and then makes a late surge to end up in a decent position. But this season looks a bit different. But still its always better to play Atletico at the Vicente Calderon this early in the season. To all their attacking credibilities, they looked pretty vulnerable in defense. Kun Aguera, always a thorn for Barca is struggling with his fitness and is in a race to be fit for this match. But I have a feeling that he will be there from the start.

Barca vs Atletico Promises plenty of goals

Atletico Madrid vs Barca ties are never short of action. Plenty of goals have been scored in recent times in these encounters by both teams. That will be something which worries Guardiola a lot. Even in the 5-1 thrashing of Pananthanaikos, the defense showed signs of occasional rustiness. Any repeat of the same will be Christmas coming early for Forlan and company. Guardiola is expected to field his strongest eleven for this match. But I would play a little with the defense. I would move Puyol to left back(thsi would most probably happen as Abidal is set to miss Atletico Trip), have Milito and Pique in the centre and Alves on the right. That shores up the defense a lot. Milito was excellent and looked more composed than anyone else whne he came in for last 15 minutes against Pananthanaikos. A look at Atletico Madrid clearly identifies their strength - their atatck, and it becomes essential to neautralise that. Guardiola has successfully tried this against Real Madrid on the visit to Bernebeu. With their defense our boys are expected to score and what they may need most is a composed defense to win them more balls. The restof the side I would like Guardiola to keep it as same. Iniesta, Xavi and Busquets in the midfield and Messi, Pedro and Villa upfront. This always have been one of the most difficult away trips for Barca. But a simple look at the recent results shows a picture that Barca has done better when visiting Vicente Calderon early in the season. And I am definitely going to hang on to that. There will be goals and planty of the and I predict a Barca victory with a scoreline of 4-2.

FC Barcelona vs Panathinaikos Preview

FC Barcelona starts their Champiosn Leagu campaign at the Nou Camp against Greek Champions Panathinaikos tomorrow. After the 2-0 defeat against hercules, it could be thebest thing the players can ask for. A match this quickly means Barca has the perfect platform to bounce back and turn the topic away from that defeat. In that sense, it is essential for Barca to win this game preety well. Nobody expects Barcelona to lose back to back match at the Camp Nou, so we should see the players more determined to produce a perfect performance. Onething the defeat against hercules taught us is that there is a heavy price to be paid for being complacent. Sport.es has reported that Guardiola is angry at his players and did let them know about the same after the defeat. But many of us is actually angry at Guardiola for trying non-sense thing. I sincerely hope that sanity returns to Guardiola abd he learns from the blunder he commited. But knowing this man, I have a belief he will never learn from his mistakes.

We have a great record against Greek opponents at Camp Nou. The defeat at the hands of Hercules means that Barca players will do anything to maintain that record. GUardiola has almost everyone available for selection, except the injured Jeffren. But it is to be seen whether he will still continue to use Abidal in the Centre Back position. Many of the fans have argued about always having a left back similiar to Alves. One thing the defeat against Hercules taught is that it is not always a great thing, because your two centre backs will be left alone at testing times. I have no idea about what is going in Guardiola's mind. i would give a line-up which I would like to see. As ususal we can expect Valdes to be on the goal and he will be sincerely hoping for a quiet night tomorrow. The defense will be the point of discussion and I expect that we will go back to our traditional defense with Alves, Pique, Puyol and Abidal. Busquets, Iniesta and Xavi should form the midfield. Pedro, Villa and Messi should lead the attack. Knowing Guardiola, there is no guarantee that this line-up will be fielded. He may be on a mission to make Abidal the greatest Centre Back of all time, God Knows! If 90% of the line-up is featured then we should comfortably win this one. I predict a 3-0 victory only if Guardiola decides to behave responsibly.

FC Barcelona vs Hercules Preview

FC Barcelona would be playing their first home match of this season tomorrow against newly promoted Hercules. Usually coming back from an international break is a bit worrisome for Barca. But Guardioila will be happy playing hercules rather than any other team. Hercules went down to Athletic Bilbao on the opening week and was not expected to create any trouble for Barca. But the recent acquisition of Drenthe and Trezuguet have made them pretty competitive and couple with our usual problems after an international break, this could be tricky. Many of the FC Barcelona players had a mixed international break. Spanish stars like Iniesta, Pique, Busquets, Pedro etc would like to forget the 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Argentina. Meanwhile Messi and Milito should be pretty high from that win. Milito is expected to start the match as Puyol is still not match fit. Teams like Hercules should be an ideal platform to give the youngsters a go. Jonathan dos santos and Thiago is expected to get some playing time.

After the 3-0 victory at Santander, the confidence should be high. That match wasn't the perfect one but it was essential to start in the perfect note. With Puyol certain to miss, Milito and Pique should be able to form the core of defense. Alves, who didn't have to do any travel is certain to start as fullback and I think Guardiola will prefer Maxwell to Abidal in this match. The midfield will be interesting to see. We have to see whether Guardiola willstart with Jonathan or will stick to the usual suspects. I feel Xavi would be rested or atleast may not start, that means we may see a midfield of Iniesta and Jonathan joining hand with Busquets. Mascherano is not expected to start but should see some playing time in this match. The frontline should see red hot Messi on the right, Pedro on the left and Villa on the middle.

Hercules recent addition has made them a bit dangerous. But I have to be crazy to assume that Barca will struggle to secure a victory against Hercules. I predict a goal fest with Barca winning 5-0. I can already see the headlines on Sunday and it somehow seems familiar - Messsiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.

Barca vs Sevilla Preview; Failure is not an Option

After the year long drama, the La Liga season is coming to an end with only two games remaining. But we may not have to wait for another week to know who will emerge the winner. With Barca visiting Sevilla, this has to be the most pivotal moment in this La Liga season. A win at Sanchez Pizjuan stadium will more or less guarantee us the title, but anything other than a win will see Real Madrid running away with the title. Simply put, the La Liga title is Ours to lose. Usually a visit to Sevilla evokes mixed emotion. Sevilla has one of the best home records in the League and will be real tough customer to negotiate. Our last visit to Sevilla was the 1-0 victory in Copa del Rey, but that wasn't good enough for us. Last season a Lionel Messi inspired Barca have beaten Sevilla 3-0 in the corresponding fixture.

Guardiola has taken all his available squad including the injured Abidal and Iniesta to Sevilla. The youngster Thiago Alcántara has also been included in the squad. All of our recent match previews have started with the debate of "Whether Ibrahimovic should be Picked"? So this one also start with the same. First of all we should go for a 4-2-3-1 formation. Bojan Krkic has been in good form recently and it is hard for me to see him being replaced in the line up. I will pick Bojan to head the attack line, simply because he is scoring goals in every match. Behind him we should have the usual trio of Keita, Messi and Pedro.

There could be an argument made to include Jeffren in place of Keita, but with an attack line of Pedro, Bojan and Jeffren could be a bit soft. The midfield should have Toure and Xavi joining together. Pique has been a a doubtful starter, but I expect him to start along with Puyol, Maxwell and Alves in defense.

Sevilla is in the middle of a good run , notching up three successive victories. It is not only Barca who has so much for stake. Sevilla currently lies in fourth position but is vary of the Mallorca's surge who is currently lying just one point behind. Barca's demolition of Villareal raises serious hopes, but I don't think this time it will be an easy ride. FC Barcelona has to play at their absolute best to get past this heavy test. This Barca side has the capacity to easily get past this challenge. It is just a gruesome ninety minutes which separates us from the title. Under Guardiola we can expect every player to give their best in this match. Sevilla's major threat will come from the wings and it is essential for Alves and Maxwell to have a good night. Messi has been in excellent form against Sevilla in recent past and can expect to continue his good run. My prediction will be a 2-1 victory for Barca.

FC Barcelona vs Inter Milan Champions League Semi Final 2nd Leg Preview

FC Barcelona needs to Produce a Magical Night against Inter Milan

So, the stage is set of this all conquering FC Barcelona side to overcome one of the biggest challenges in last two years. After losing the first leg away 3-1 at San Siro, FC Barcelona have to do it all at Nou Camp now. A failure to do that will see the dream of retaining the Champions league crown at our rivals home ending. Many have pointed out that we need a miracle to go through to the final, but for me that is more of an exaggeration. What we really need is a solid, compact and a determined performance and we could be heading to Bernabeu. The last time Inter Milan visited Camp Nou we ended up winning the match comfortably - FC Barcelona - 2, Inter -0 . A repeat of the same performance will see us comfortably through to the final and that is the reason why I emphasized on a good compact performance rather than a miracle. No way this is going to be easy, but this FC Barcelona side has the talent to achieve that result even with the absence of Iniesta.

The last two Champions League matches at the Camp Nou ended with Barca winning comfortably against Stuttgart and Arsenal. Lionel Messi scored six of those goals in the total of wight for Barca. In those two matches Barca blew apart their opponents in the first half and such a first half performance is the need of the hour. This Inter Milan has improved by a lot from the last time they visited Nou Camp. They have the best central defense pairing in the whole of Europe at this moment in the form of Samuel and Lucio. Their defensive midfielder Cambiasso is surprising everyone with every match. All the credit should be given to Mourinho for turning this side into a very hard working compact side. Inter Milan will present a different challenge to Barca compared to the visits of Stuttgart and Arsenal. Out of all those three teams, Inter is the only side which is coming to Barcelona with the upper hand and clearly know that it for them to lose the semi-final.

Mind Games has already started in Both Camps

The major point of discussion to the build up of this game was about the startegy Mourinho will employ. Will he sit back by parking his players around the box or will he play a style similiar to the one employed at San Siro last week? The answer could be seen from a close look at the Chelsea vs Inter Milan second leg at the Stamford Bridge. In that match Mourinho surprised everyone deploying an attacking formation and pressing really hard especially in the first half. He may deploy a similiar strategy, trying to close down the space of FC Barcelona midfield. Sitting back may backfire if there is an early goal at the Camp Nou from Barca and Mourinho would be the first one to realise that danger. As I wrote in the earlier paragraph, FC Barcelona has to win this tie in the first half. A 0-0 at the half time would seriously make iot difficult, and from then on breaking Inter will be close to impossible.

The mind games have already begun at both the camps. It looks like the designated referee is the target of both the camp. The Belgian referee, Frank De Bleeckere is assigned this match. Before you go berserk yelling at UEFA for not assigning an official from the big leagues, let me tell you that Mr.Bleeckere has a very good reputation when it comes to big matches. He was the one who officiated our UEFA Super Cup victory over Shaktar Donetsk. The Inter President, Massimo Moratti has already blasted FC Barcelona management for putting pressure on the referee. Mourinho did say a few things about our club and players after the first leg, it was quite surprising that he never said a damn thing after the knockout stage matches. You all can be assured that the self claimed "Special One" will say a few more in the press conference before the match. The "Special One" has already started his mind games creating a freak injury scare of Sneijder and Maicon. It looks like the Barcelona based media camps have caught his bluff. I would be quite surprised (in a nice way) to see any of these players missing.

Guardiola's tactics will be closely monitored in the build up of this match. He did fail miserably to read the game at half time at San Siro and we cannot afford a repeat of the same. The first point of intereste will be the formation he would employ. I am not at all a big fan of the 4-2-3-1 formation, but have to agree that it could be the best against Inter Milan. There is not much room to manouvre in the defense for Guardiola. Carles Puyol is suspended for this leg. Milito and pique will form the central defense pairing with Alves on the right and Maxwell on left. Abidal would have been the ideal choice as left back, but still it is not clear whether he is fit and available. The choice of defensive midfielder to pair with xavi infront of defense raised some eyebrows at the San Siro. But it showed Guardiola's preference. He has favoured Busquets over Toure for most of the season, and the kid could not absorb his defense off any pressure nor create a stability for the attacking players at the San Siro. Toure could ideally be my choice simply because of his experience, physiscal presence and defensive capability. The midfield trio should be an ideal formation of Keita, Messi and Pedro with Henry upfront as the striker. Many may question my logic of leaving Ibrahimovic out. The reason is plain simple - We average more than three goals per match without Ibrahimovic and I believe that the reason is his lack of speed. For tomorrow's match I don't want a forward who can kill the speed of our moves but someone who cfan complement. Henry has a better experience in dealing with tough central defenders whereas Ibrahimovic goes missing in those encounters.

Barca players may have blamed the referee for last week debacle at San Siro, but they themselves should know that the major part of blame falls on them. Playesr like Busquets, Alves, Keita, Ibrahimovic were all way below par on the night. Alves and Busquets should stop falling down the moment the simplest of challenge is made. This match would be a test of character of this Barca side. Like Laporta said last week, a great comeback from behind victory could be the only thing this great Barca sides lacks at this moment. This is that moment. To do that the players have to play at their very best, staying strong and focussed throughout this match. There is no reason why barca can knock this Inter side out and I am predicting a 2-0 victory for Barca.