UEFA Champions League: Celtic FC 0-1 FC Barcelona: Match Review

A recap of Barcelona’s 1-0 Champions League win against Celtic FC

A solitary goal by Cesc Fabregas was enough for FC Barcelona to record a hard fought victory in Scotland against Celtic FC. The Scots played a very organized game, but were undone by a red card shown to their captain Scott Brown in the second half.

	Celtic	Barcelona
Possession	18%	82%
Total Shots	5	13
Shots on Target	2	5
Pass Accuracy	62%	90%
Fouls	18	10
Offsides	2	5
Yellow Cards	3	3
Red Cards	1	0

Maybe with last season’s defeat at Celtic Park still looming in the back of Barcelona’s mind Gerardo Martino decided to play it “safe” as he fielded arguably the strongest available lineup. The injured Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano were replaced by Fabregas and Marc Bartra. Maybe surprisingly, but maybe not, Alexis Sanchez stayed on the bench with Pedro starting on the right wing.

The game started with Barcelona kicking off from midfield amid incredibly loud cheering from the Celtic faithful. It took the hosts a minute and forty-two seconds for their first touch of the ball – which came on a simple blocked pass by Emilio Izaguirre. Barcelona held possession for basically the opening five minutes, but not once were they able to shoot on goal – and yes, I’m intentionally not counting Dani Alves‘ “shot” as a shot.

Celtic, however, were able to test Victor Valdes on their first venture forward. After a couple lovely one-touch passes Georgios Samaras escaped the defense, but his shot from a tight angle was well saved by the Barcelona goalkeeper.

Barcelona continued to dominate possession, but struggled to break through the defensively very organized Celtic side. There were no problems getting to the penalty box, from either flank or through the middle, but there was simply no space to get closer. And long range shots also weren’t doing the trick because none of them were even on target.

The Catalan’s defense, on the other side, didn’t look very confident. Every time the hosts came into Barcelona’s third there was always a chance that Valdes would have to bail out his defensive line. Samaras especially was very active, causing quite some problems because of his size.

For Barcelona the most active player was without a question Neymar who was making plays on the left wing as well as through the middle. And just for good measure he was also making plays on the right side. When on the left side Neymar combined very well with Adriano, who spent many minutes right alongside the forward in an attempt to catch Celtic outnumbered.

With the injury bug apparently making its way through the Barcelona squad recently Neymar caused another scare. In what appeared to be a simple play Neymar got the worst end of a head clash and even needed some time on the sidelines to gather himself. Alexis immediately started to warm up, but the substitution was in the end not needed.

Neymar actually looked like he hadn’t lost a step as he nearly put Barcelona in front in the 40th minute. Alves supplied a rare inch perfect cross that the forward very nearly half-volleyed inside the posts. At the stroke of halftime Neymar won a free kick on the left side of the penalty box. Xavi aimed for the far post, but Fraser Forster, the Celtic goalkeeper, got just enough of the ball to tip it out for a corner kick. Nothing resulted from the corner, and the teams went into their dressing rooms scoreless.

The game restarted with neither team making any substitutions, but both sides looked more focused in attack. Especially Celtic caused a lot of problems to the Barça backline as the Scots started the half by pressing higher up the pitch.

But Neymar continued to be a thorn in Celtic’s side and that was very evident in the 60th minute when Celtic captain Brown brought the Brazilian down from behind. The referee immediately took a yellow card from his pocket, but when he saw a late kicking motion by the Celtic man and Neymar in pain on the ground that play resulted in an early bath for Brown.

With the man advantage Barcelona brought everybody forward, but now Celtic were in an even more defensive formation, with eight men, plus the goalkeeper, inside their 25-yard line. There really was very little room for Barcelona to operate, but even when the visitors managed to take a shot it wasn’t on target.

However, even though they were a man down Celtic remained dangerous. Substitute James Forrest, who came on the pitch about a minute earlier, fired a powerful shot from inside the penalty box that Valdes somehow tipped over the crossbar. The hosts had another chance from the ensuing corner kick, but that attempts went just wide of the post.

Tata Martino then made his first substitution, he replaces Pedro with Alexis, and it proved to be a very good move as Alexis would be crucial in Barcelona’s goal that came a minute later. Neymar supplied a good pass to Alexis, who took the ball further down the right flank. He then sent a perfect cross to Cesc in the middle who headed it on goal for the lead.

Two minutes later Cristian Tello made his first Champions League appearance of the season as he replaced the goalscorer, Cesc.

Barcelona fairly easily maintained possession as even though the hosts were down 1-0 they seemed content to sit back and wait for a chance on the counter attack. But those chances did come with Samaras causing a lot of problems to Pique. But the Scots were left frustrated by the lack of the final pass.

Barcelona had an excellent opportunity to put the game out of reach in the 87th minute when Neymar fired from the edge of the box, but Forster made a fantastic save. Alexis then tried to bury the rebound, but he too was bested by the Celtic goalkeeper. Neymar had another chance to score his first Champions League goal in added time when he was played through by Alexis, but Forster won the one-on-one battle.

In the end the misses didn’t matter as Celtic weren’t able to beat Valdes meaning that the lone goal by Cesc was enough for Barcelona to remain perfect in the Champions League.

FC Barcelona will again be in action on Saturday when they will host Real Valladolid at the Camp Nou. Valladolid have so far managed to win just a single game, at home against Getafe, but they will try to remain undefeated on the road this season – they have drawn both away games.

Barcablaugranes

– Another great victory against Celtic!! The game was tough for both teams.. Barcelona had the ball most of the time and was plying good game the only missing part was a goal! Which finally scored By Cesc at the middle of the second half. All Barcelona players made a great performance especially Neymar! It was obvious that Barcelona missed Messi in this match, He makes a difference when he plays. For me Neymar was the man of the match even though he did not score, he caused a lot of headache to Celtic. Two wins in two games in champions league!! What a great start for Barcelona!! Now is time to rest and think of upcoming match in La Liga against real Valladolid.. Forca Barca!!  

Celtic vs Barcelona 0-1 All Goals & Highlights (1/10/2013) [HD]

UEFA Champions League: Celtic FC vs FC Barcelona: Match Preview

A preview of Barcelona’s UEFA Champions League encounter with reigning SPL champions Celtic

FC Barcelona will be looking to avenge last season’s shock defeat when they travel to Scotland tomorrow to face reigning SPL champions Celtic FC at Celtic Park. The unfashionable British club, managed by an unfashionable coach, Neil Lennon sent shockwaves through the football world last season with a famous 2-1 victory over their illustrious visitors — and are quietly confident that they can replicate that success tomorrow.

After all, the Blaugrana will be without key defenders Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba, while offensive mastermind Lionel Messi is also sidelined after the Argentine virtuoso picked up a thigh injury in the club’s 2-0 win over Almeria on Saturday evening.

Despite being struck down by a string of injuries, Barcelona are still overwhelming favourites for tomorrow’s clash — remember, they are yet to experience defeat under Gerardo Martino. So yeah, Messi is injured but Neymar is not. And nor is Cesc Fabregas. Javier Mascherano may be sidlined but Marc Bartra looks to be turning a corner. In every cloud there is a sliver lining and in every crisis there is an opportunity.

TEAM NEWS

BARCELONA

Lionel Messi drops out of the squad with an injury but Martino has bolstered his squad by calling up two B team players, Sergi Gomez and Patric. The duo might not be expected to feature, but if I were them, I would be relishing the chance to escape Eusebio and train under a “real” coach. Aside from those changes, it’s as you were for Martino’s matchday squad.

Therefore, expect to see a similar starting line-up from Barca. Victor Valdes will start in goal hoping to claim yet another clean sheet and he’ll be hoping for some better support from the defense. Gerard Pique has been struggling as of late, but will start again tomorrow, while similar can be said of Dani Alves, even if the Brazilian has contributed a goal or two this season. Adriano hasn’t entirely impressed since replacing Jordi Alba in defense, although he hasn’t put much of a foot wrong either.

Marc Bartra should complete the defense, as he hopes to build upon his Man of the Match performance against Almeria with another good display against Celtic.

Sergio Busquets will start at pivote, while Xavi and Andres Iniesta occupy the two central midfield berths — thanks to Messi‘s injury, it’s unlikely that we will see Fabregas in midfield for the next two or three weeks. Sergi Roberto is good, but nowhere near ready enough for a game like this; leaving Xavi and Iniesta as the only two viable options.

I mentioned it briefly earlier but to reiterate, Cesc Fabregas will probably occupy the false nine role in Messi‘s absence. Unless Martino has a change of heart and experiments with either Alexis Sanchez or Neymar in the centre of attack. In my mind, neither are suited for the role, but Fabregas is hardly an archetypal false nine either. Sanchez and Neymar are great wingers though, which is almost certainly where they will start tomorrow’s game.

CELTIC

Midfielder Joe Ledley has been ruled out and Dutch winger Derk Boerrigter is a doubt for a Celtic side who have won just two of their last four matches. More positively for the hosts, tricky attacking midfielder James Forrest and Israeli holding midfielder Beram Kayal both resumed full training today and could make a surprise appearance tomorrow.

Match Facts

LAST MEETING

Celtic FC 2-1 FC Barcelona — 7th November 2012 — UEFA Champions League

Tony Watt’s late winner sent the home crowd delirious with joy as Neil Lennon’s side put in a performance for the ages to defeat the mighty Blaugrana.

LIKELY LINE-UPS

Barcablaugranes

– This is a tough game for Barcelona. Without Messi it’s even harder however, I believe that Barcelona’s coach will find a way to beat Celtic. I trust Martino’s skills that will lead for a win. Even though it’s hard but not impossible!! Neymar will be more free now I tihnk he will make a difference in this game!! Good luck Barcelona!! Forza Barca!!

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi out up to three weeks with thigh injury

The Argentina star suffered the knock during his side’s victory over Almeria on Saturday and is expected to miss a pair of games, including a Champions League bout against Celtic.

Barcelona has confirmed that Lionel Messi will be out of action for 2-to-3 weeks after suffering a thigh injury during his side’s 2-0 victory over Almeria on Saturday.

Messi opened the scoring in the 21st minute before being subbed off in the 28th minute after feeling discomfort in his right leg. Tests conducted on Sunday confirmed that he suffered a minor injury and will be back training in a matter of weeks, Barcelona announced on its official website.

This news follows a long list recent injuries, including a thigh injury he suffered earlier this season during the club’s Spanish Supercopa matches against Atletico Madrid. Despite the injury crisis, Messi has been named by Alejandro Sabella to represent Argentina in the latest round of international fixtures on Oct. 11 and 15.

The Argentine is expected to make a full recovery but is set to miss Barcelona’s Champions League match against Celtic and league match against Real Valladolid. He could return for the Blaugrana’s battle against Osasuna on Oct. 18, which directly precedes a Champions League clash with AC Milan and the first Clasico of the season against Real Madrid.

Goal

– A very bad news again, After Puyol, Mascherano and now Messi the best player in the world got injured!!. The timing is so bad, he will be out for 2 – 3 weeks!! and Barcelona is having a big game on Tuesday against Celtic in Champions League. Also, he will miss a couples of La liga games and the most important game that is against Real Madrid!!

Messi Give Order To Change Him After Messi injury vs Almeria 2013:

 

La Liga: UD Almeria 0-2 FC Barcelona: Match Review

A recap of Barcelona’s 2-0 La Liga win over UD Almeria, as goals from Lionel Messi and Adriano Correia handed Barcelona their seventh successive La Liga victory

FC Barcelona cruised to a 2-0 away victory against Almeria on Saturday evening, as goals from Lionel Messi and Adriano Correia secured Barça’s seventh straight La Liga win. This streak represents Barcelona’s best-ever start to a La Liga season, but it will be somewhat overshadowed by news of Lionel Messi’s injury. As of yet, there is no suggestion as to the severity of the injury, but it will be a concern for Culés nonetheless.

	Almeria	Barcelona
Possession	29%	71%
Total Shots	5	15
Shots on Target	1	4
Pass Accuracy	78%	90%
Fouls	20	15
Offsides	3	2
Yellow Cards	1	2
Red Cards	0	0

Argentine coach Gerardo Martino continued to make full-use of his star-studded squad, dropping regular starters Neymar and Xavi Hernández to the bench as Barcelona keep one eye on their pivotal UEFA Champions League clash with Celtic. Of course, the Scottish Premier League champions shocked the world with an incredible victory over the Blaugrana in last season’s group stage, so it isn’t surprising to see Martino prioritise that clash ahead of this match with lowly Almeria. After all, the starting line-up would surely secure the three points without Xavi and Neymar right?

As expected, Barcelona started the match strongly, forcing Almeria onto the back-foot early as they piled on the pressure in search of an opening goal. For the most part, that early pressure was a little chaotic – without Xavi on the field, this wasn’t your usual build-up; instead it was a little less predictable, and I mean that in a negative fashion. Predictable build-up play does have its downsides, but how can the attack take up the right positions if they don’t know how or where the ball is going to be played?

Cue a bunch of wild shots from Dani Alves, Pedro and Adriano. Not one of these shots was particularly dangerous, or even the right choice really – only Andrés Iniesta’s shot in the fifth minute caused the Almeria defense some bother. Iniesta might not be renowned for his shooting (despite his famous goals against Chelsea and Holland) but this was a great effort, as last season’s UEFA Best Player in Europe tested Esteban’s resolve with a swerving long-range strike.

Noticing that the frantic pressure wasn’t paying dividends, Barcelona switched up their approach just a little; their offensive strategy was now more controlled and Gerard Piqué was the first to reap the rewards. Escaping his marker with an intelligent run, Piqué created himself the best chance of the opening quarter-of-an-hour only to waste that opportunity with a misdirected header. The Catalan centre-half couldn’t believe that he missed the target, and neither could the Barcelna fans watching at home.

However, even if Barça were yet to put themselves on the scoresheet, there was no real cause for concern as Lionel Messi quickly corrected that wrong with a superb individual goal after 21 minutes. Receiving the ball from Pedro on the right wing, Messi cut inside, skipped past the challenges of the Almeria defense and curved the ball into the far top-corner of veteran keeper Esteban’s net, handing Barcelona a well-deserved lead. It was the Ballon d’Or holders’ eighth goal of the young La Liga season – but the Argentine superstar’s evening was cruelly cut short.

With less than an hour played, Messi hobbled off the field to be replaced by Xavi – Gerardo Martino was almost certainly playing it safe, but the substitution does cast doubts over Messi’s availability for Tuesday’s match with Celtic.

No Messi, no Neymar; no problem?

Would Barcelona still have enough firepower to secure the three points, or would Almeria grow in stature now that Barça’s main threat was off the field? Alexis Sánchez’ chance just moments after the substitution suggested that it would be business as usual for the Blaugrana, but as time passed in the remainder of the first-half, Almeria grew in confidence and arguably finished the stronger side.

Rodri’s powerful effort forced a save from Victor Valdés in the Barcelona goal on the stroke of half-time, but perhaps the former Barça B striker would have benefitted from a little less power and little more precision. Valdés didn’t even have to move to parry his shot away from danger and protect Barcelona’s slender lead as the two teams headed into the half-time break.

Neither manager made a substitution at the interval and who could blame them? With the score at 1-0, this match was relatively evenly-poised. The next goal was crucial and there really was no point in making a change this early, just in case you needed to throw the game-plan out the window at a later stage in the 90 minutes.

All Almeria needed for instance was one well-executed counter-attack and they were back in the game; we all know just how vulnerable this Barcelona defense is after all. Surprisingly enough, it was the inexperienced Marc Bartra who came to rescue early in the second-half, making a vital intervention to stop a promising Almeria attack.

Bartra’s excellent composure was infectious – Barcelona had no reason to feel anxious and could continue playing their usual game, resulting in a second goal after 56 minutes. With Messi sitting on the bench, maybe Cesc Fàbregas would grab a goal? Pedro perhaps? Alexis Sánchez?

Not quite – it was the full-back Adriano who put his name on the score-sheet, sliding home from close range following an excellent low cross from Barça’s new false nine, Cesc Fàbregas. It may have only been the slightest of touches, but it was enough – handing Adriano his second goal of the La Liga season, moving him back ahead of €57 million signing Neymar, who of course claimed his first La Liga goal on Tuesday against Real Sociedad.

At 1-0, Almeria still had a chance – now two goals behind, they had a mountain to climb – and only about half-an-hour to scale to the summit. Basically, it was mission impossible: so why even try, right? Almeria head coach, Francisco made a couple of changes, handing two of his most played players some rest, replacing both Fernado Soriano and Aleix Vidal with the slightly more defensive-minded Ramon Azeez and Sebastian Dubarbier.

The two substitutes combined to good effect on the 74 minute mark, only to see their rewards – a shot from Dubarbier – count for nothing thanks to a well-timed block. Barcelona’s second substitute, Cristian Tello nearly made an impact too, racing away in injury-time only to slide the ball wide in a one-on-one with Esteban.

Not that it mattered – Barcelona had done enough to secure the three points, ensuring that Martino’s 100% record stretched to seven successive La Liga victories. That’s a new club record in case anyone was wondering. Next up, Barcelona travel to Scotland to take on Celtic, but until then, Visca el Barça!

Barcablaugranes

Barcelona vs Almeria 2-0 Goals

– A very important victory!! Seven victories in seven games!! wow!! Barcelona won this game away against Almeria away from the Camp Nou.. Barcelona had the ball most of the time. Almeria tried a lot to win the ball back but that was almost impossible!! Barcelona’s players kept passing the ball with no mistake and gave Almeria a hard time by running around the pitch and as a result of that, Almeria’s players got tired and gave up easily.. As I expected, there was some players started on the bench such as: Neymar and Xavi to prepare them for the big game on Tuesday against Celtic. The worst part was Messi’s Injury. I hope its not a bad one and can catch up the game against Celtic..

La Liga: UD Almeria vs FC Barcelona: Match Preview

A preview of Barcelona’s La Liga clash with Almeria, as the Blaugrana look to extend their 100% start to the season with a seventh successive victory

FC Barcelona take on newly-promoted Almeria tomorrow, as the Blaugrana seek to extend their 100% start to the latest La Liga campaign with a seventh successive win under the guidance of Argentine head coach, Gerardo Martino. Almeria on the other hand are yet to register a win since their return to the top flight and have shipped an incredible 15 goals. Only Rayo Vallecano (whom Barcelona easily defeated 4-0 last weekend) have conceded more goals; although paradoxically, Almeria also boast one of the league’s better attacks.

Despite sitting in 18^th place, Almeria’s strike-force – led by former Barça B striker/flop Rodri – have hit the back of the net on ten separate occasions. That’s more than Valencia, Malaga or Real Sociedad. Will this prolific attack find a way to surprise their table-topping visitors tomorrow, or will Barça cruise to yet another straight-forward victory?

TEAM NEWS

Cesc Fàbregas returns to the squad after sitting out the midweek win over Real Sociedad, but news of his return has been spoiled by the news of Javier Mascherano’s injury. The Argentine injured his hamstring in that 4-1 victory and is expected to miss the next few games at a minimum.

As a result, Marc Bartra should start his first match of the season alongside Gerard Piqué, who attracted criticism from the Madridista press for his latest tweets about their beloved club. Clearly, Piqué shouldn’t be expressing his own opinion, especially if it reinforces a rivalry between the country’s two biggest clubs…or maybe Ancelotti and company don’t like it when someone actually calls it like it is. The penalty kick against Elche was just the latest in a long line of favourable (and highly questionable) decisions awarded in Madrid’s favour.

Missing Players:

Piqué’s right, it is laughable.

Pepe pulls over an Elche defender, wins a penalty – where is the logic? Does Pepe’s past reputation actually count for anything in this sport? Is the referee simply incompetent? Why isn’t someone asking these questions? After all, decisions like this don’t harm Barcelona, not at all; instead, they harm the reputation of the league – and I think someone should at least contemplate taking action.

Anyway, enough rambling – Dani Alves and Martin Montoya could start on either side of defense, allowing Adriano to rest ahead of Barcelona’s UEFA Champions League opener against Celtic this upcoming Tuesday – and who knows, maybe even Sergio Busquets will once again drop to the bench? Alex Song performed well last weekend, perhaps encouraging Martino to hand him a little more responsibility. Or maybe Busquets will start – the choice is Tata’s.

Just as Martino has free reign over his selection in central midfield: he could start Xavi, he could start Andrés Iniesta, Cesc Fàbregas, Sergi Roberto, Jonathan dos Santos or even push Sergio Busquets or Alex Song further forward. We’ve seen his rotation policy, but does Martino like to experiment, tactically-speaking? If so, what better time to start than in this seemingly straight-forward encounter?

If that means dropping Neymar to the bench, then that’s fine by me. Cristian Tello deserves a chance to shine on the left-flank anyway; maybe the Brazilian could then make a late cameo in the centre of attack? It’s probably wishful thinking, but it’s also a role that he could perform, certainly better than Sergi Roberto (even if Roberto was surprisingly adept as the false nine in his late cameo on Tuesday). Elsewhere in the attack, Lionel Messi will start – and Pedro could return to the fold following Alexis Sánchez’ somewhat wasteful display against Real Sociedad.

LAST MEETING

FC Barcelona 3-1 UD Almeria – 9^th April 2011 – La Liga

Barcelona produced a second-half comeback to secure the three points at home to struggling Almeria, as a brace from Lionel Messi inspired Barça to a crucial victory in the race for the La Liga title.

LIKELY LINE-UPS

Barcablaugranes

– I think this game is not so hard, last visit to Almeria, Barcelona won 0-8 however, Barcelona should play as usual and take this game seriously. Even though Almeria is not a tough opponent, it scored in each of his last La Liga games. Also, there is a very important uefa champions league game away against Celtic this Tuesday who is a tough opponent in his pitch so, I think the plyers will try to win Almeria’s game with minimal effort to be ready for Celtic.. Enjoy the game an good luck Barca!!

Forza Barca..

Mascherano out for two weeks

The Argentina international faces a spell on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring problem in Tuesday’s win over Real Sociedad.

Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino will have to make do without the services of Javier Mascherano for up to two weeks after the Argentine defender picked up a hamstring injury in the Catalans’ 4-1 win over Real Sociedad on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old was part of the Barcelona starting XI for the Liga clash but was forced to leave the pitch after 35 minutes after struggling with his right leg.

Mascherano underwent further examination on Wednesday morning and Barcelona has now announced that the former Liverpool man will be out of action for 10 to 15 days.

“Javier Mascherano underwent medical tests on Wednesday morning to determine the extent of the injury suffered in last night’s league match at home to Real Sociedad,” a statement on the club’s official website reads.

“It has been confirmed that he has sprained his right hamstring and will therefore be sidelined for 10 to 15 days.”

Mascherano will consequently miss the Liga games against Almeria and Valladolid as well as the Champions League encounter versus Celtic.

Goal

– What a bad news for all Barca fans.. Mascherano’s injury came in a very bad time. Barcelona has suffered in back-center position in the last two seasons. This season Barcelona Coach did not want to sign a back-center claiming that Barcelona does not need it for now.. Well in my opinion, Barcelona will continue to suffer in back-center position this season because Puyol is getting old and get injure easily, Bartra is still young and has no experience and Pique’s performance is unstable.

Busquets takes out Mascherano

FC Barcelona v R.Sociedad: Barcelona in festival mood (4-1)

While the city of Barcelona celebrated the Mercè festival, the football club made it six wins out of six with a comfortable victory over Real Sociedad

Barça have equalled the club’s best ever start to a Liga campaign by making it six wins out of six after a brilliant 4-1 win against Real Sociedad. And it all happened on the day that the city was celebrating its patron saint, the Mercè festival, and in emphatic style. The first 22 minutes saw a barrage of goals from Neymar, Messi and Busquets, and from then on it was complete dominance from the home side, with the visitor’s solitary goal doing nothing to worry the Camp Nou faithful.

Nevertheless, things had got off to an alarming start. In the first minute, Seferovic struck the Barça bar, and Mascherano, who ended up being substituted on the half hour, ended up grounded after being accidentally stamped on by Busquets. But having avoided that early warning call, the Catalans regrouped and set about dominating their guests in every facet of the game. Real were forced back into their own half and the chances started flowing.

Delightful stuff

Neymar was outstanding with his penetrating runs from the left, and Iniesta was plethoric in an aggressive, dominant midfield in which Xavi and Busquets read every play to perfection. It was the Brazilian who first found the net after just four minutes when he pounced on a moment of uncertainty between visiting goalkeeper Bravo and his colleague Cadamuro. Just five minutes later, the same man Neymar left two men stranded before crossing for Messi to grab the second. Barça’s attacking machine was on full throttle, and the play was developing at a frantic pace. Real Sociedad looked lost, and matters weren’t helped for them when their captain Xabi Prieto went off injured after 22 minutes, to be ambitiously replaced by Aguirretxe.

Busquets soon made it 3-0 with a strike from outside the area, moments after Messi had hit the bar. Barça were combining to absolute perfection, and the fans even celebrated the chances that went begging, so impressive was the footballing display before them. And even though he had very little to do this evening, the crowd also started chanting the name of Víctor Valdés in recognition of the crucial saves he’s made in recent matches. Barça weren’t holding up, and despite their healthy lead, most of the play was still deep inside the Real Sociedad half – and after the break, Messi and Neymar continued searching for further goals.

Showing maturity

Real hadn’t exactly done much to contribute to the Camp Nou’s anniversary, but did manage to grab a consolation goal after 63 minutes through De la Bella. Barça responded in precisely the right way. With only two goals in it, they slowed the pace and started taking fewer risks. Not only that, but tiredness was clearly setting in, just as Real, encouraged by the goal, starting counter attacking with increasingly greater effect as they fought to somehow find a way back into the match. They played with courage, but it was still Barça who were in command, and not too many people in the Camp Nou were worried that the game wasn’t going to end in anything other than a home win.

Any hint of uncertainty soon vanished in the 75th minute Bartra, looking every bit the forward, converted a Messi cross to make it 4-1. That as good as brought the night’s activities to a conclusion, and Martino decided to bring off both Neymar and Messi for some well-earned rest. Alexis was left to run the frontline alone, and really deserved a goal in the final seconds, but his header struck the post. All in all, it was another tremendous performance from FC Barcelona, and it’s now six wins out of six in La Liga.

Barcelona

– Another awesome victory!! Finally Neymar scored his first goal with Barcelona in La Liga games since he joined the first team this season. All players played a great game together.. The worst part in this game, that when Mascherano had to leave the pitch suffering from an injury.. I hope his injury not that bad and he will not miss a lot of games because we need him as he a great center-back!!

La Liga: FC Barcelona vs Real Sociedad: Match Preview

A preview of FC Barcelona’s La Liga clash with Real Sociedad at the Camp Nou, as Gerardo Martino’s side look to extend their 100% record to six matches

FC Barcelona entertain UEFA Champions League qualifiers Real Sociedad tomorrow at the Camp Nou, as the Blaugrana look to maintain their 100% start to this La Liga campaign. Tomorrow’s visitors are without a goal in their last three matches (two draws and one defeat), but regardless of that fact, last season’s fourth place finishers boast too much quality to be underestimated, particularly by a suspect Barça defense.

While Barcelona may have achieved two successive shut-outs, they have relied heavily upon the resurgent Victor Valdés who has saved a penalty kick in each of his last two appearances. Usually dependable characters like Javier Mascherano and Adriano Correia are also making rare mistakes, further contributing to this sense of unease which surrounds the Barça defense.

Fortunately for head coach Gerardo Martino, Barcelona’s fabled offense is continuing to produce. With a staggering 14 goals in their last four matches, the Blaugrana boast the most potent strike-force in all of Europe. It’s spearheaded by the greatest player of all-time Lionel Messi – who also continues to amaze on a weekly basis – and in Pedro, Neymar and Alexis Sanchez, the Argentine can finally count upon the support of his offensive colleagues.

Some of those changes will be obvious and/or expected, although there are one or two potential decisions that may catch some Culés off-guard.

Victor Valdés will continue in goal and it’s safe to say that the Catalan shot-stopper is probably in the form of his life right now. Maybe if he’d performed like this for the past two-three seasons, he would have been offered a new contract much earlier – and we wouldn’t be worrying about the club finding a new goalkeeper. In other words, let’s enjoy Valdés’ form while it lasts.

Dani Alves is expected to return to the starting line-up tomorrow, replacing young Catalan full-back Martin Montoya on the right-hand side of defense. The Spanish Under-21 international was granted his first start of the season on Saturday but failed to really capitalise; the only occasion he caught our attention was with that ill-judged back-pass. With Alba sidelined, there is a possibility that Montoya will keep his place in the starting XI, albeit on the left-hand side of defense – but that rests on whether Martino is willing to drop Adriano to the bench.

Barcelona’s immediate schedule may be packed, but there is little in the way of a challenge for the reigning champions, meaning that defensive rotation might not be too important in the upcoming weeks.

On a similar note, there are some Culés who are questioning Martino’s decision to utilise Javier Mascherano and Gerard Piqué in every match – conveniently forgetting that defensive instability was one of the principal reasons for the late collapses in seasons past. Martino has his preferred first-choice pairing; why should he deviate from that?

Sergio Busquets will replace Alex Song as Barcelona’s midfield anchor tomorrow, after Song delivered a mixed performance against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday. There were many who praised his efforts in the centre of the park, but the cold hard facts are that he continues to give the ball away far too often to succeed in this role. 76% pass completion for a player who is supposed to be limited to simple sideways and backwards passes is nothing short of laughable. Committing six fouls is another huge concern too; often pundits and fans confuse a lack of timing for “physicality”. Just because Busquets times his challenges to perfection and rarely leaves a mark on the player, does that make him any less physical than Song?

Credit where it’s due, Song played an integral part in one of the goals on Saturday, but it’s hardly anything new; Busquets’ enthusiasm created two goals for Barça just a few weeks ago…

Moving further forward in the Barcelona midfield, logic suggests that Andres Iniesta will also return to the starting line-up tomorrow with Cesc Fàbregas likely to drop down to the bench. Sergi Roberto could challenge for a spot in the squad – although it’s far more likely that he’s involved in the weekend’s clash with Almeria.

In attack, Lionel Messi will continue to lead the line, but he may be without his latest partner-in-crime Neymar, as Martino hinted that the Brazilian forward could be rested for tomorrow’s match. Maybe it’s mind-games; personally I would wait a few days and leave Neymar out of the Almeria match, or maybe it’s legitimate. Neymar has played a lot of minutes recently, and even if he was used to this kind of schedule in Brazil, Martino could still give him a break.

That would leave us with two attacking spots, likely to be filled by Alexis Sánchez and hat-trick hero, Pedro Rodriguez. Despite displaying glimpses of their talent, neither Pedro nor Alexis have truly hit form yet this season; perhaps leaving a door open for Cristian Tello to march into the starting XI. If only the young winger could figure out how to play on the right-hand side of attack…

LIKELY LINE-UPS

FC Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdés; Alves, Piqué, Mascherano, Adriano; Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta; Alexis, Messi, Pedro

Real Sociedad (4-2-3-1): Bravo; Martinez, Gonzalez, Inigo, Angel; Pardo, Bergara; Vela, Prieto, Castro; Agirretxe

Barcablaugranaes

– This game will not be easy on Barcelona, Real Sociedad has been a tough opponent especially last few seasons. This game will be at home which can give Barcelona the advantage to win.. I hope that Barcelona continues winning to stay number one in La Liga standings.. Enjoy the game and Good luck Blaugrana!!

La Liga: Rayo Vallecano 0 Barcelona 4

A Pedro hat-trick sent Barcelona to a 4-0 win over Rayo Vallecano at Estadio de Vallecas on Saturday as they maintained their perfect start.

The 26-year-old opened the scoring in the 33rd minute when he knocked in a low cross from Lionel Messi, who was making his 250th La Liga appearance, and although Rayo enjoyed plenty of possession, the champions were clinical.

Pedro added two more similar goals in the second half, tapping in passes from Cesc Fabregas and Neymar, before former Arsenal man Fabregas added a fourth for good measure late on.

Rayo came into the match off the back of a 5-0 hammering by Malaga last weekend and coach Paco Jemez responded by making four changes.

Leonel Galeano, Nacho Martinez, Joaquin Larrivey and Seba Fernandez were all dropped out as Anaitz Arbilla, Johan Mojica, Raul Baena and Alberto Perea took their respective places.

After their UEFA Champions League exploits against Ajax during the week, Barca also made four changes.

Dani Alves, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Alexis Sanchez all missed out, but coach Gerardo Martino had the luxury of being able to recall Martin Montoya, Xavi, Alex Song and Pedro.

The opening 10 minutes saw both sides create excellent chances, as Perea first headed straight at Victor Valdes, while Neymar had an effort blocked just in front of goal.

Barca, though, were clearly on top and they eventually made the most of their domination just after the half-hour mark.

Messi, who had been relatively quiet to that point, played a pass into the area for Pedro and the wide man opened up his body and placed a shot into the bottom corner.

The visitors’ hard work was nearly undone three minutes later when Adriano brought Roberto Trashorras down in the penalty area, but the former Barcelona youth player’s spot-kick was pushed away by Valdes.

Any threat of a Rayo upset was effectively extinguished just two minutes into the second half as Barcelona doubled their lead.

Fabregas exploited space between Tito and Arbilla down the left before squaring a ball into the danger area, which Pedro knocked into the roof of the net.

Rayo were afforded their fair share of possession, but Barcelona were the only side who looked like adding to the scoreline, as Messi found himself denied at the near post by goalkeeper Ruben.

And Martino’s side put the result beyond doubt with 18 minutes remaining as Pedro completed his hat-trick in the simplest fashion, Neymar gliding past his marker and playing a square pass for the Spain international to tap in.

But there was still time for things to get even better for the visitors, as Fabregas received a pass from Xavi on the edge of the area before curling a low shot into the bottom corner to set the seal on the win.

Goal

– Pedro played a wonderful game!! that is what I like about Barcelona, each player could score as good as a striker!. This hat trick was the first hat trick for Pedro at Barcelona.. the other players played a good game especially Fabregas who helped Pedro to score by assisting him with the final pass. It was a good game to be played away of Camp nou..

Martino revels in Puyol’s return to Barcelona

The Blaugrana boss is thrilled at the prospect of improving his central defense with the Spanish veteran and also explained Pedro’s squad absence.

Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino has heralded the imminent return of club captain Carles Puyol following a lengthy absence through injury.

After two weeks off due to the international break, the Blaugrana are gearing up for their clash with Sevilla on Saturday, and, although the 35-year-old Puyol is not expected to feature, Martino revealed that the veteran could make his comeback in a week’s time.

“Puyol’s return means we have the center back we all wanted. I’m very happy about it,” Martino told reporters on Friday. “The captain is back.

“He is at the end of his recovery, he could be back in full training ahead of next week’s game against Real Sociedad.”

Martino also explained is decision to drop Pedro from the squad and insisted that Lionel Messi and Neymar are both set to play against Sevilla despite a hefty chunk of travelling during the international window.

“Pedro has played two games with Spain, that’s why he’s rested this time,” Martino said. “He’s fine now, but we need him for the next nine or 10 months.

“Messi and Neymar made long trips, but they have trained very well – we’ll see how they feel tomorrow and see if they can complete the game.”

Martino also denied claims he had asked the Argentine Football Association not to call up Messi for the Albiceleste’s final two qualifying games.

“We didn’t ask the Argentina football federation not to call up Messi next time,” Martino said. “I wouldn’t do anything like that, I’ve been a national team coach myself. It’s been a while now that Messi has been as good for Argentina as he is for Barca. He’s decisive for us and for them.”

Goal

– we are looking for Puyol’s return!! Barcelona is suffering in center-back especially this season. Even though Puyol is getting old, he still can make a difference in Barcelona.. I insist that Barcelona needs to sign a center-back in the following mercato in January..