Copa Del Rey Preview: Barça - Atletico Madrid
Tuesday, 13 January 09, 08:18 PM · Comments(16)
Barça take a fairly comfortable 3-1 lead into tomorrow night's Copa del Rey second leg match with Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou. However, Pep Guardiola is insisting on the importance of the game and has declared that the tie is not over yet. Nevertheless it seems probable that some players will be rested, the most likely being Xavi and Messi after their trip to Zurich for the Fifa awards ceremony.
Atletico will be without the suspended Maniche and Heitinga, and the injured Seitaridis and Maxi Rodriguez, while coach Javier Aguirre has chosen to rest striker Diego Forlan for the game. while it is obviously very difficult for Atletico to pull back a two-goal deficit it is worth remembering some of the craziest turnarounds in recent Spanish football history have occurred between these two sides. In the 1993/94 season Romario scored a first half hat-trick in the Vicente Calderon, giving Barça a 0-3 half time lead in a game that ended with a 4-3 win for Atletico. And in the Copa del Rey, in 1997 after a 2-2 in the first game Atletico were 0-3 at half time in Camp Nou, in one of the most incredible 45 minutes of football that I have ever been fortunate enough to witness in person, Barça pulled off a 5-4 win going through 7-6 on aggregate.
If Messi and Xavi are likely to be rested we can also say there will almost certainly be a return to the starting line up for Andres Iniesta and Toure Yaya who both began on the bench at Osasuna. It will also be very surprising if Jose Manuel Pinto does not start in goal. After that it is anyone's guess, Pep Guardiola has not announced the squad yet.
Barça's possible starting XI: Pinto; Caceres, Marquez, Puyol, Sylvinho; Victor Sanchez, Toure, Gudjohnsen; Hleb, Bojan, Iniesta.
My Prediction: Barça 2 Atletico 2
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16 Comments · Add yours
I think this game will be Barcelona's. It seems as though Pep has been a good student of history judging at the way he is talking about the game in the Spanish press. He takes them seriously and I would be surprised if we allow a goal tom.
I understand that Atletico will come out fighting but there just will not be any complacency after Osasuna. It would be a shame to not see Messi and Xavi (they are football players...my boss doesn't rest me before important deals...so they should play if not hurt).
For someone who has questioned our defense, i think that this might be one of this even games in terms of possession and opportunity but one in which Barcelona runs away with the score.
Barca 3-Atletico 0
Wow..Dani Alves has quite a leap for a guy as short as he is!!!
GK
into
DEF: Caceres
DEF: Marquez
DEF: Puyol
DEF: Sylvinho
MID: Iniesta
MID: Busquets
MID: Sanchez
ATT: Bojan
ATT: Henry
ATT: Gudjohnsen
Bench: Xavi, Messi, Pedro, Toure, Eto'o
btw guys I've got money on Barca:
4-1
2-0
3-1
Cheer them for me that I get one of those scorelines
I was unable to comment on the match for a few days as internet was down, and I come back to the site, and despite a stunnind comeback from Messi & Co. all I find is a big debate on Henry!
Messi's goal was great, it had no curl on it whatsoever, it was a bullet. BANG!! 3-2. Dam Barca are so strong mentally these days. First Villareal, now Osasuna away. Great games, and this team goes from strength to strength.
Come on Blau, Messi and Eto did not turn up for the Valancia and Villareal games, Henry saved Barca. I didnt know Messi was playing vs Valancia for 30mins lol, lets leave it at that!
Barca win as a team, they lose as a team. I dont think Henry will ever be great on the left wing, but Eto is crap there aswell. You could argue half of Eto's goals are tap ins, but it doesnt mean anything. Goals are goals. This team is built on them beleiving they are ONE unit. It isnt like before where Ronaldinho and Deco were seperate to the team etc. Henry had a bad game, he was subbed. Nothing wrong with that imo. He was very good last game, not so good this one. As long as he plays well in the majority of games, then Im happy and so will Pep be.
The game was brilliant, I loved watching it!!
Hola a todos!!!
soy un culè italiano y tengo un blog blaugrana....VISCA EL BARçA! 
judging by the lineups tie would be most reasonable, Barca needs no more than that
FCB_Darren, I would go with 2-0 scoreline. Barca don't have much to prove going with a blowout here.
Barca 2-0
As long as Barca progress, I'll be happy
Here is another look at Messi's goal against Getafe from a perspective of a commentator who clearly lost it.
LINK
will like to see
pinto, victor sanchez, caceres, marquez, sylvinho, keita, gudjohnsen, iniesta, hleb, bojan henry (so iniesta takes to the left flank during the weekend at the expense of henry)
barca 3- 2 athletico, their defence is just tooooooooooo wack
stupid me, the match has already started
pinto, alves, marquez, caceres, sylvinho, toure, busquets, gudjohnsen, hleb, bojan and iniesta
In order for Atletico to advance, they have to win by three goal - difference . It is not going to happen. Barça should advance !!
Sorry, I meant by two-goal difference.
I can't remember the last time I was this upset after a win but I hope I will get through this without blowing my top.
1)The Martin Caceres Issue:
I have been called ridiculous, even comical for arguing the obvious on his positional assignment during our Xmas break exchanges (Layi,FCB Holland,Blaugranaboy,Hilal) and I think that my point from those exchanges was proven today in a horrific display as a Center Back. To be honest, I think had Diego Forlan been playing for Atletico Madrid today, they could have easily been up 3-1 by half-time. Caceres truly showed his reactional deficiencies and obvious flaws in reading the game coming out of the middle. He was uncertain, lacked confidence, tottered under assault and defended poorly in the air. He was outmatched and showed his inadequacy as a CB for all to see. So, I am going to blow my own horn:I WAS RIGHT ABOUT THIS ISSUE. I do not believe that anyone who saw today's game and the one from last week can be honest and argue for the opposing view on him. Caceres is a right/Left back not a centerback and Pep might have realized it today, which brings me to me second point.
2)Pep's coaching:Genius or just good coach(I will refrain from using the word lucky)!!!?
Today's game has left me with mixed feelings, just as I stated last week:
a) Pep is doing a disservice to Caceres and the team by playing him as a Center Back. while I understand a coaches desire to please his players, he should fail to LEAD them to the right place. In this case, it would be to have a "reality check" one on one with the player and clearly explain to him that find playing time, he would have to compete for it in his NATURAL POSITION: that of R/L back. If the player refuses to comply then he should no longer count on him in the future since doing so would be to the detriment of the team and the player.
It is to the detriment of the player because his confidence as a professional will decline, the team's confidence in the player in that misassigned position will also falter thus the team dynamic will effectively be affected negatively.In addition, the player will be hard to sell or will be sold at bargain, which always ends up being a loss to the club. We can realize Caceres' true potential but only if we play him in his nabtural position.This could have been a great pitfall for Barcelona today and I am forced to further question Pep's logic on our defensive situation. Call me a traditionalist on this one but for those of you who have read my post in the beginning of the season, I called for patience with the coach and asked the we not REQUEST a STARTING eleven.WEll, I think that we've FORMED as a team,we've STORMED as a team and we are EXECUTING as a team now.Thus we should settle on a starting line. I am willing to be flexible on this issue and insist on this issue only for the defense. I hate to see subs wasted on defenders. Some will argue that they are just like any other player on the pitch but I disagree and I am forced to look back to all that I know of football and my playing days (college, international,etc.). I am insisting on this issue because this could end up being fatal, especially in the champions' league. I am not arguing against all and any defensive changes.Remember, when a mismatch is observed, well it should be solutioned by switching players around or making a sub.
b)I will go back to the center back issue again because I saw Marquez being substituted today for tactical reason (well he was injured!). I remember also, arguing about his age and propensity for injury and getting very surprised looks from some. Again, I was right about his status and propensity for that type of thing. This leads me to one and only one point:WE NEED A NEW CENTERBACK!!!Some will say that I am bit too quick to panic but I am simply stating the obvious.