Around the Veltins-Arena there is a mixture of optimism about an historic quarter-final tie for Schalke 04 and respect for Barça, a team the Germans still think they can beat.
With key players sidelined (Rakitic, Varela, Jones and Zé Roberto), a less than impressive history in European competitions (a single UEFA Cup title back in 1997) and the worst numbers for any of the eight teams remaining in the competition, Schalke is getting ready for its quarter-final tie with Barça.

There’s still hope

It’s a far from ideal situation for the Germans but they are still hopeful and believe, with just a few hours to go before the first leg, that they can knock Barça out of Europe. Recent improved form in the League and luck in the Champions League when they beat Porto in the last 16 on penalties has given them a boost. “We don’t need any more motivation for Tuesday’s game because we’re already well up for it. Everyone’s really motivated and we’ll be going out onto the pitch with loads of self-belief,” commented Mirko Slomka, Schalke 04’s coach, who says he knows where Barça’s weakness lies.

Barça’s defence has “problems”

According to Slomka Barça “are having problems in defence as they’ve let in 15 goals in their last seven matches”. So in spite of the lack of creativity in his team his strategy is to try to hit the Catalans hard at the back through Schalke’s main attacking force Asamoah and Kuranyi.

Respect for Barça and belief in Neuer

Slomka said he felt great respect for Barça’s attacking strength, as “even though Ronaldinho, Deco and Messi are missing, they’ve still got Krkic, Eto'o and Henry”. But the Germans are by no means afraid. At their last training session before the match, fans were keeping a sharp eye on the Royal Blues’ goalkeeper Neuer as he was coached by Oliver Reck, legendary ex-keeper and current assistant coach at Schalke 04, and who made two crucial saves in the penalty shoot-out in the last round against Porto. According to one loyal fan, “He’s the best German keeper around at the moment. He makes some amazing saves and we want to hang onto him for as long as possible.” People around her nodded in agreement. They believe they can beat Barça.

 
Rafa Márquez, one of the new faces in the Barça squad for the match against Schalke 04, thinks that one of the strengths of the German side is their aerial game. The Mexican reckons that Schalke won’t make things easy for Barcelona.
Defender Rafa Márquez is back for the first leg of Barça’s Champions League quarter final against Schalke 04. The Mexican has been sidelined with injury and makes his return just when the team needs him most. Márquez spoke this Monday evening at a press conference.

“It won’t be an easy game”

The Mexican knows that tomorrow’s game “won’t be easy” because Barça will be facing a side which Márquez describes as “ordered, physically strong and which has been playing well. They have some really strong strikers.”

But the key thing Rafa Márquez picked out was Schalke 04’s aerial game: “They’re most dangerous in the air. They play really well together as a team and one of their strikers is a German international.”

Getting confidence back

In the run-in to the end of the season Rafa Márquez thinks the side “has to make a maximum effort” as they are still in with a shout in two competitions, the Spanish League and the Champions League. Plus after Saturday’s painful defeat away at Betis the Barça defender thinks that the side has to “get back our confidence which in other seasons has brought us such good results.”

Still in pain but can play

The player was given the green light by club doctors this Sunday after being sidelined with injury for more than a month. Márquez says that he is feeling better although there is still some pain. “I’ve got a bone oedema which takes some time to go away but I can put up with it,” he said before adding that “I’m ready to do whatever the boss tells me to.”

Márquez also expressed his complete confidence in Barça coach Frank Rijkaard: “He’s been very successful and there’s no reason why he shouldn’t stay on and continue in the same way.”

 
Frank Rijkaard knows that Schalke is a tough side who can play a physical game. So he is determined that Barça won’t play into the Germans’ hands but instead will stick to the more technical game which they are used to.
Rijkaard freely accepted that “there are other sides that are better prepared physically than we are” which means that Barça doesn’t want to get into a physical confrontation with Schalke. “We don’t want to play their physical game. We have to play in the way that we know we can and to our strengths,” he said. He added that in his view Schalke is a “good side that is collectively strong and they’ll be hard to beat.”

Criticism motivates

Talking about Barça’s last match when they went down 3-2 to Betis, Frank Rijkaard said that “losing that way was tough”. He also made it clear that he understands why fans are criticising the team and thinks that that should be “added motivation” for Tuesday’s match in Gelsenkirchen.

Moving on

Rijkaard also said that “constantly thinking about things that have gone wrong doesn’t help” and that the team has to move on and forget about last Saturday’s defeat in Seville. “We have to keep on working and being enthusiastic and confident as we always are,” said Rijkaard, who was very calm throughout the press conference.

The game is the most important thing

Asked if he would resign if the team loses, Rijkaard made it clear that “this is not the time to be talking about things like that. We’re here because we’ve got a game to play and going into issues like that is not a good idea. The game is the most important thing.” Rijkaard thinks that the best way of approaching this match is “to continue working and trying as always to do what we have to do, get a good result and play well.”

 
Rafael Márquez and Gaby Milito are th etwo new faces that have been named in the Barça squad to travel to Germany to face Schalke 04 in midweek, while Deco has not yet recovered.
The defensive duo have overcome their respective injuries and have been named in Frank Rijkaard's squad for the match in Gelsenkirchen in the Champions League. Márquez and Milito have been brought in while Santi Ezquerro and young Víctor Sánchez miss out. In contrast, Deco was not given the green light to travel, despite training with the rest of the squad on Sunday morning. The club's medical services reported: "The progress of the player is going well, but he not recovered in time and will continue to work to be available for the next game."

Samuel Eto'o suffered a calf strain in the match against Betis on Saturday, but according to the club doctors "the forward is having treatment and how he responds in the next few hours will influence whether he is available for the game."

Training session

The squad took to the pitch in front of La Masia on Sunday morning having spent almost an hour in the changing room analysing the game from the night before. All the players were present, apart from the injured trio of Lionel Messi, Oleguer Presas and Albert Jorquera. Márquez, Milito and Deco were all not involved in the Ruiz de Lopera, but trained while Ronaldinho was also working on his personal recovery programme.

Youngsters Víctor Sánchez, Guerra, Eneko, Córcoles, Rueda, Abraham, Fali and Planchería were all invited to train with the first team squad.

 
Víctor Valdés has not looked for any excuses to justify why FC Barcelona were beaten by Real Betis Balompié after being two goals ahead at the break in a press conference on Sunday afternoon.
"We have to completely forget the second half in the Ruiz de Lopera," the Catalan keeper said. He also stated that he understood why the club's supporters were dismayed by the performance after Bojan Krkic and Samuel Eto'o had put the Blaugrana in a commanding lead before the half time interval. "We know that we have failed again and that we had a great chance to close in on the leaders," Valdés continued. "We did not know how to finish the game off having controlled it for so long. Betis grew in confidence in the second half when (Rafael) Sobis and (David) Odonkor and could not stop them. I understand why the fans feel upset and we are the first ones to want to end this run."

Pleased with Schalke game

There is almost no time to digest the defeat against Betis before Barça will be back in action in the Champions League on Tuesday. Valdés expects that the game against Schalke 04 will be "positive from every point of view. The Champions League is a very attractive competition for everyone and we can go into the game feeling confident and knowing that a good result will boost our morale."

Backing for Rijkaard

On the team meeting held before training to analyse the Betis defeat, Valdés did not go into many details, although he did say: "These meetings are always a good idea. We all in the same boat and I do not think that the team lacks attitude." Reflecting on Rijkaard's statement that he felt ashamed, the Barça keeper said: "We are all behind the coach and respect his opinion. More than shame, on the pitch the players felt completely deceived. I know that he was saddened by it. But he is a grand person with a strong personality and gives us real confidence."

 
The FC Barcelona director of football has analysed the state of the team following the defeat to Betis and what he wants is an immediate reaction.
In an interview on the ‘Gol a gol' programme on TV3, the director of football spoke about the situation regarding the team following the 2-0 defeat in Seville. Txiki Begiristain made his message clear, saying “Rijkaard has not left his job in the hands of the board and his position does not depend on what happens on Tuesday. But we have told the team that we want to see an immediate reaction on the field. We need sacrifice and solidarity from the players”, he reiterated before later adding that “there is a mood of reflection and analysis in the squad. I understand that people don’t want to hear words, they want to see a reaction.”

But Txiki also made it clear that “there is no crisis. That is what happens when you are incapable of doing anything and I don’t see that. The team has shown it can overcome difficult situations like the Cup games in which we were able to defend a result.”

The future

When there are still two months left of the present season, Txiki Begiristain was asked what plans had been made for the next. He replied that “I am convinced of our project for next season. It will be a winning project. The board has always made an effort to give us what we ask for. I don’t like speaking about cleanouts. You have to evaluate the performances and the progression and build a strong squad that is keen to win everything.”

The way forward

All of the problems boil down to what happened in the second half on Saturday. “The team touched the sky in the first half and then showed its failings after the break. We saw that they were unable to respond to the setback. There was a feeling of a lack of control and allowing things to take their course.

”But from now on we need to get all of the players heading in the same direction. We have to think more about the players we do have than the ones we don’t.”

The league

Barça had wanted to put more pressure on the league leaders, but instead slid below Villarreal in the table. Txiki Begiristain admits that “it hurts to look at the table”, but also recognises that “Villarreal is the most regular team. I don’t know which is more irregular, us or Real Madrid, but the team that wins the league will be the most regular of the three.”

 
Kuranyi and Rafinha, two of the Schalke 04 stars, spoke about the forthcoming Champions League quarter final with Barça. They both agreed that Barça are the favourites, but that it is anything but a done deal.
On paper, Schalke and FC Barcelona are in very different situations. Barça won the Champions League two years ago and are a side many people fancy to repeat that success this year. Meanwhile, Schalke 04 are very much the underdog, having made it into the last eight in a penalty shootout against Porto. The Bundesliga outfit knows it is a big ask to knock out Barcelona, but Kuranyi and Rafinha told Barça TV that they are confident they have a good chance of doing just that.

Barça, a difficult opponent

Kuranyi, Schalke 04’s top scorer in Europe with three goals, is not counting out the possibility of his team being surprise semi finalists. “Everybody knows that Barça is the best or one of the best teams in the world, and it will be a very hard game for us. If we want to qualify we will have to give it everything we can and play to the limit.”

Options for Schalke 04

Brazilian full back Rafinha spoke along similar lines, saying “I think Schalke 04 are very well prepared for this tie and we are just as much the favourites. We have made it to the quarter finals and if we are here it is because we have the chance to win and because we are working really hard.” Rafinha has scored once in Europe this season, against Rosenberg, and feels the two teams will be a able to conjure up “a good game” because they are both “preparing valiantly”.

The Barça players

Both agree that there is a plethora of talent in the FC Barcelona squad. “Barça always look to sign the best players in the world”, explained Kuranyi. “They have lots of players and they are all very good. So you can’t single out any one player. What Barça have is a very good all-round team”, continued Rafinha, who said “it has always been my dream to play Barça”.

Keys to the game

Kuranyi said the Barcelona players “have a lot of skill and play phenomenal football” and so for the Germans to win “we will have to stop them from playing their game”. Along similar lines, Rafinha added that “Barça have no one aspect that demands attention, we have to be alert to anything that might happen and to what all their players are doing, because they can create down the wings or down the middle. They are very dangerous”.

 
Visibly disappointed by the way his team slumped to defeat at the Manuel Ruiz de Lopera, Frank Rijkaard told the fans he was sorry about the loss (3-2).
“Inexplicable”. That was how the FC Barcelona manager described the way his team has lost a game that they seemed to have in the bag when leading 2-0 at half time. “It is hard to believe the way the game turned around in the second half. We lost a game that looked easy and we let it slip away in a way that words cannot explain. I apologise to the fans for the defeat”, said a shell-shocked Frank Rijkaard.

“We failed”

But the Barça manager did not feel that the game was lost due to over-confidence. “I think we had some experienced players on the field and they know full well what playing away is all about and how to control and dominate when you are clearly ahead. I don’t mean that the team relaxed. It is inexplicable how we fell so easily into the trap set out by this game … We should have carried on as we did in the first half. But we didn’t, we failed”.

A game of two halves

Frank Rijkaard was always aware that Betis might spring a late surprise. “During the break we spoke to the players and told them that Betis looked motivated. We had to stay strong and keep creating pressure, and spend as much time as possible in the opposition’s half”. He said it had been a game of two very different halves, and that “in the first, the players went out with the right mentality and played well. The second was totally different. We failed”.

“A hard night”

Rijkaard added that Saturday “has been a hard night. I am ashamed of the result ... At tough and emotional moments like these the best thing you can do is stay calm and take things as they come.” He ended by congratulating Betis on their win, and for the way they “believed in their possibilities”.

 
Xavi admitted that the FC Barcelona team were feeling downcast after seeing a two-goal lead overturned by Real Betis Balompié in the Ruiz de Lopera on Saturday evening.
The Catalan midfielder was unable to explain why the team had allowed their advantage to slip, but said that the players were angry with themselves for their second half display.

Xavi Hernández:

"We feel ashamed in a football sense. We cannot explain it. Again we have allowed ourselves to lose and today in an incredible way."

"The team has not played well in the second half and we have allowed Betis to come back."

"We have to continue. There are a lot of games left."

"We are very angry with ourselves. We did not use the advantage that we had."

"The team has given everything, but now we are downcast:"

"In the first half we played very well and had a lot of possession. In the second period, we did not play anywhere near the same way."

"We have to believe in ourselves. But the chances continue to pass us and we are not taking advantage of them."

Carles Puyol:

"Today reflects our season overall. A good first half and then i the second half we did that."

"It is difficult to analyse because we have only just finished. We just have to ask for forgiveness."

"We did not play well. I cannot explain what happened in the second half."

"The team was poor in the second half. If we want to win things, then we cannot continue like that."

"We now have another important game and we have to refocus."

"We believe in Rijkaard. The ones that play are the players. The first half we played very well."

"The league is not decided with one game, but today was a big step back."

Gianluca Zambrotta:

"We are in a strange moment. In the first half we played very well. With their first goal, we did not have the strength to find a third goal for ourselves. We lacked a strong mentality."

 
Carles Puyol has finally been included in the squad that will face Betis on Saturday. Giovani and Ezquerro also get their chance, while Pedrito and Víctor Vázquez have been dropped.
The Barça captain took part in Friday’s training session behind closed doors at the Camp Nou, and is available for selection by Frank Rijkaard for Saturday night’s clash with Betis. He took a knock to the ankle during the Spain v Italy friendly midweek and took tests on Thursday on an injury that may be causing pain but offers no reason why he should not be able to play in the weekend’s league match.

Giovani and Ezquerro are back

Giovani and Ezquerro are the main changes to the side that beat Valladolid. The last time Giovani played in the league was against Villarreal at the Camp Nou (March 9), while Ezquerro has not played since Barça v Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey (January 2).

That means there are no places for reserve team players Pedrito and Víctor Vázquez.

Márquez and Milito in Camp Nou

Two of the injured players, Rafa Márquez and Gaby Milito, worked out in the stadium this Friday in the session that got under way at 11.00 am. The players were accompanied by a fitness coach as they continue to work on getting over their respective injuries.

 
Although their side does not score too many goals, Betis do have two top class strikers in Edú and Pavone, who between them have scored 17 of their team’s 33 goals this season.
Edú, with ten goals, and Pavone, with seven, are clearly the main reference in the Betis squad when it comes to goal-getting.

Edú the veteran

In his fourth season with the Andalusian outfit, Luis Eduardo Schmidt, known to the football world as Edú, is the leading scorer in the side managed by Francisco Chaparro. Six of the ten were scored at the Ruiz de Lopera, with the likes of Mallorca, Getafe, Real Madrid and Espanyol suffering the effects of his strength in front of goal. He has an 18% effectiveness rate (having converted ten of his 55 of shots on goal), he is especially good in the air and seven of these goals have been scored from the head, and the other three with his right foot.

Pavone the new arrival

Hugo Mariano Pavone joined Betis at the start of the season from Argentine club Estudiantes de la Plata, where he had played since 2000/2001. He has been on target seven times this season, scoring twice in the same game against both Zaragoza and Almería, and also against Levante, Getafe and Murcia. The 25 year old has a scoring rate of 19%, having converted seven out of 36 attempts.

Other Betis goalscorers

Rafael Sobis, with four goals, Mark González, with three and Xisco, with two are the other players that have contributed to the total of 33 scored by Chaparro’s side this term, the eleventh highest scoring side in the competition. Rivera, Arzu, Fernando, Nano and Capi, with one each, have also scored.

 
Despite not knowing where the Betis v FC Barcelona match would be played, something Rijkaard considers odd, he claims that his team’s preparations have gone ahead as planned and the doubts over the venue have had no adverse effects.
Once today’s training session behind closed doors was over, the Barça manager spoke to the media and explained that his team was well prepared for Saturday's match against Betis.

The keys to the game

Frank Rijkaard described 13th placed Betis as a difficult opponent. He admits that they have always “played well against Barça” and are “strong up front and especially in the air … We will have to pay particular attention to our defensive duties, play our way and be aggressive up front in order to assure security at the back".

Doubt over venue

When speaking to the press, Frank Rijkaard still did not know for sure where the Betis v FC Barcelona match was going to be played. But he didn’t think such uncertainty mattered much, for “all we need to know is the place because we will prepare for it in the same way and wherever we play our objectives will be the same”.

Naming names

Asked about the condition of some of his players, Frank Rijkaard announced that Touré Yaya and Carles Puyol “are ready to play”, despite their minor injury concerns.

The possibility of Eric Abidal playing at centre back was also brought up, as it looks like somebody will have to cover for the injured Gaby Milito. The Barça boss said “he has played in that position for the French national team and we have used him as a centre back here as well. It is handy that he can either play as a centre back or a full back.”

Ronaldinho’s situation

But what most of the pressmen were interested in was in learning more about Ronaldinho’s situation. The Dutchman did not want to go into too many details, and limited himself to saying that “everybody, team, squad, club, we are with him”. The Brazilian is still getting bother from his leg, and Rijkaard said “it is still too early to say whether he will be travelling to Germany” for the Champions league this week.

 
Thursday evening’s training session was the first time this week that Frank Rijkaard could count on all his available players – internationals included - to prepare for the weekend clash against Betis.
Henry and Touré worked out with the group while Puyol was also on hand to test out his ankle.

After several days marked by the absence of the internationals, things were back to normal on Thursday evening. The main news was the return to squad training of Touré Yaya and Thierry Henry, both of whom have been receiving treatment for back problems, which in the case of Henry caused him to miss Franc’s 1-0 win against England in Paris.

Puyol puts his ankle to test

Carles Puyol, who picked up a knock to his right ankle during Spain’s 1-0 win over world champions Italy, also did some light training at the Masía training grounds.

He took part in the warm-up before joining Xavi, Thuram and Gudjohnsen for some jogging. Thuram then continued with some stretching exercises while talking with Rijkaard while the other three returned to the changing rooms. Meanwhile, the rest of the group continued with the usual ball control exercises.

Abidal receives treatment

For his part, French defender Abidal remained in the changing rooms for treatment on the knock he picked up on Wednesday while Samuel Eto'o joined the session later after working out in the gym.

Training match

The remaining players then continued with some passing and shooting practice before splitting into two groups for a training match. With the orange bibs - Valdés, Ezquerro, Zambrotta, Henry and Touré; without bibs Pinto, Edmílson, Eto'o, Giovani and Sylvinho.

 
Gabriel Milito will definitely not be available for the Betis match due to the groin strain detected while with the Argentina squad. Meanwhile, Carles Puyol, who has been cleared of any ligament or bone damage to his ankle, remains doubtful.
Carles Puyol and Gabriel Milito have both returned from international duty with injury problems. However, Club doctors confirmed on Thursday that Puyol has escaped any ligament or bone damage to his right ankle though his presence in the game against Betis will depend on his progress during the next couple of days.

Speaking to Barça TV on Thursday morning, Puyol expressed his desire to play at the weekend.

Milito out

As for central defender Gabriel Milito, the Club’s medical services told us: “The tests carried out this afternoon confirm that the player has a groin strain as was detected while away with the Argentine international team. The defender is unavailable for Saturday’s match against Real Betis. Milito will have specific treatment so that he can be available to the coach for next Tuesday’s Champions League match”.

 
Eidur Gudjohnsen has said that the team is hungry for titles, and knows both the Champions League and La Liga can be won. The Icelander pointed out that Barça are not relying on other results going their way.
Gudjohnsen is an optimist. The Icelandic midfielder senses that there is plenty of ambition left in a squad that is keen to make history. ”We are all hungry for titles. We know we can create history if we win the two titles we are still playing for. At the end of your football career, you are only remembered for the things you have won and the great games you have played”.

No need to depend on others

Gudjohnsen sees no reason for anything other than optimism regarding the challenges presented by the rest of the season. ”I think that the team’s attitude to games is good and we are training every day. All we can do is keep trying to get the three points every time we play, because closing the gap on Real Madrid is something that is in our own hands. If we keep thinking about winning, I’m optimistic and I am sure we can win the league”, said Gudjohnsen.

More pressure on leader

Barça have a great chance of making up ground this weekend as they face Betis, while Real Madrid take on Sevilla. “Yes, we can put a lot more pressure on the leader if we get the three points off Betis this Saturday. But it is better just to think about ourselves, and to play the way we know, and that way we will beat Betis and move a step closer to being champions”.

 
The Barça first team squad members that are not on international duty and are fit trained at the club's Ciudad Deportiva Joan Gamper training complex alongside the youth teams.
Only players from Frank Rijkaard's squad were in attendance in Sant Joan Despí on Wednesday as the coaches put them through their paces together with the B team and Yago and Montoya from the youth ranks. Víctor Valdés, José Manuel Pinto, Sylvinho, Giovani Dos Santos, Santi Ezquerro and Samuel Eto'o all reported for duty.

Physical work

After warming up, the players completed a number of physical circuits that included obstacles and was followed by an exercise focussing on retaining possession in small space. Valdés and Pinto have worked away from the squad with coach Juan Carlos Unzué while young goalkeepers Oier, Planchería and Pau worked with Carles Busquets. Playing with the ball then came to the fore as the players were divided into teams of four for practice games.

The four teams were:

Yellow bibs: Pinto, Fali, Dimas, Botía, Ezquerro y Sylvinho.
Blue bibs: Valdés, Valiente, Víctor Sánchez, Jeffren, Giovani, Córcoles.
Green bibs: Oier, Pedrito, Abraham, Toribio, Guerra, Chico.
Pink bibs: Planchería, Espasandín, Montoya, Rueda, Edmílson, Eto'o.

Víctor Vázquez and Sergio Busquets were 'wild cards' in the games as the winners and losers in each match went on to play against each other.

The session was overseen by Johan Neeskens and Pep Guardiola, while Frank Rijkaard watched from the stands, alongside technical secretary Txiki Begiristain and youth team co-ordinator, José Ramón Alexanco.

 
Gaby Milito has suffered a groin strain while on international duty and will undergo tests on Thursday, the FC Barcelona medical team has announced.
The Argentinian central defender is currently in Cairo with his national team as they prepare to play a friendly against Egypt on Wednesday evening. The Blaugrana have announced that Milito has suffered injury, officially known as pubalgia in a statement that read: "The player has sufffered from pubalgia during his time with the Argentina squad. The club's medical services have been in contact with the player to find out his condition and this Thursday he will undergo tests."

Touré in training

Touré Yaya has been working at Camp Nou to relieve the symptoms of a problem that he has in his back. The Ivory Coast international has been working in the gymnasium on his recovery programme. The club's medical teams stated: "The player received a second infiltration on Tuesday continues with his training plan."

 
Giovani Dos Santos has insisted that he is very happy at FC Barcelona and hopes to remain at the club for many seasons to come.
The Mexican starlet spoke to the media in the press room at the Ciudad Deportiva Joan Gamper training complex in Sant Joan Despí and reflected on his injury situation, his future and the Blaugrana's chances of winning the league title this season.

After missing several games with an ankle injury, Dos Santos explained: "I have spoken to the doctors, the coach and the technical secretary and we have reached an agreement that I would have an injection. I have already had three of them and I am improving and have been given the all clear by the doctors. The decision is, I think, the correct one for me and the team. When the season finishes I will have an operation, but I am very pleased with the confidence that the club has put in me."

The title

Reflecting on the chase for the title, the youngster said: "The team that makes the least mistakes until the end of the season will win the league. There is still a long way to go and we have never lost confidence in ourselves. The situation we are in is down to everyone. Every team fails at some point."

The future

On his future at Barcelona, Dos Santos continued: "I cannot avoid rumours about me going to the Premier League or to any other place. I just live in the present. I am here now and What I would like most is to be here next season and for many more years after that if it is possible. It has never entered my head to leave Barcelona."

Unit

"The criticism that Ronaldinho is receiving is excessive," Dos Santos exclaimed when asked about reports that there was little unity within the Barça camp. "It is normal that any player has good and bad moments. It has happened to all players. What is not normal is when everyone continuously goes on and on. We believe in him. There are certain things that have been written are not true. We are completely together. We cannot take any notice of all this stuff we have heard."

 
Barça’s international stars had a good night except for team captain Carles Puyol, who limped away from Spain’s 1-0 win over Italy with an ankle injury.
Meanwhile, France inflicted a first defeat for Capello’s England, Gudjohnsen gave Iceland an away victory over Slovakia and rising starlet Gai Assulin made his debut with Israel. Spain overcame the world champions with a stunning volley from David Villa but the win – and a successful night of international commitments for Barça players - was overshadowed by an injury to Carles Puyol.

Puyol limps off after 15 minutes

The Barça captain started in the heart of the Spain defence alongside Marchena but a chance clash with Di Natale forced him to leave the pitch and be substituted by Albiol. He’ll have an examination in Barcelona on Thursday to determine the extent of the injury.

Barça team-mate Xavi had a great game in midfield alongside Cesc and Iniesta while, for Italy, Zambrotta played the last twenty minutes in place of Panucci.

Abidal and Thuram overcome England

Meanwhile, in the Stade de France stadium in Paris, France beat England 1-0 (a first half penalty from Ribery). Eric Abidal (left back) and Thuram (central defence alongside Gallas) – who captained the France team – played the full ninety minutes.

Gudjohnsen

Gudjohnsen scored a late goal in Iceland’s 2-1 win away to Slovakia. Iceland took the lead thanks to a goal from Thorvaldson in the 71st minute but Mintal equalised a minute later. However, Gudjohnsen sealed the win 8 minutes from time.

Historic debut

Another of Barça’s rising stars, Gai Assulin, became Israel’s youngest ever international at the age of 16 (he’ll be 17 on 9th April), overtaking Chelsea’s Ben Sahar. Israel beat Chile 1-0 in Tel Aviv Ramat Gan stadium, the goal coming from Liverpool’s Benayoun in the 79th minute.

 
Madrid, Barça and Villarreal are tightly matched going into the final straight in the league title race, and for each of them, the next nine games are like cup finals.
The top three clubs have very different sets of fixtures ahead. Not one of the remaining 17 teams still has to face all three.

Madrid v Barcelona

The only head to head encounter between the top three is the Madrid v Barça game on day 36. That is a real six pointer and also gives Villarreal a valuable chance to make up ground on the top two. The game at the Bernabéu comes just three matches from the end of the championship.

Harder games for Madrid and Villarreal

Other than the clásico, Barça is the only side that has no other games against team in the hunt for places in the Champions League, apart from Espanyol (7th in the Liga). Madrid still have to face Sevilla (6th) and Racing (5th). Villarreal have it even harder, as they still have matches to come against Atlético Madrid (4th), Sevilla (6th) and Espanyol (7th).

Madrid and Barça crucial in relegation battle

Barça and Madrid also have a number of games against sides that have to fight a relegation battle, which can often prove hard as those teams are in desperate need of any points they can get. Barça have yet to meet Recreativo and Murcia, while Madrid will play Murcia and Levante. Villarreal have just one opponent to come that is facing the drop, and that’s Recreativo.

Home sweet home

Of the nine games left, Madrid have home advantage in 5 encounters, while Barça and Villarreal have just 4 home games left and 5 away. Rijkaard’s side has most of its more tricky games at the Camp Nou (apart from Madrid), while Madrid have their two theoretically easiest games, with Murcia and Levante, at home. Villarreal, have a more even mix of hard games at home and away.

 
A total of nine first team players, now that Henry is out, are away on international duty this week. Here we take a look at the games with Barça involvement.
All the Barça internationals, except for Under 21 player Bojan, have international friendlies this week as their national sides prepare for official competitions.

Barça head to head

Spain, with Puyol, Xavi and Iniesta, meet Italy on Wednesday, the current world champions, and whose squad includes Zambrotta. The game is being played at the Martínez Valero in Elche and will serve as excellent preparation for Euro 2008 in Switzerland and Austria.

Thrilling France v England

Abidal and Thuram, but not the injured Henry, will both be in the side coached by Raymond Domenech that faces England on Wednesday at the Stade de France. The ‘bleus' are fine tuning affairs ahead of Euro 2008, but England, under new manager Fabio Capello, are in full restructuring mode after failing to make the finals of Europe’s biggest international competition.

Non-Euro 2008 friendly

Iceland, with Gudjohnsen, have a friendly against Slovakia, though neither of these sides are involved in this summer’s tournament and will instead be thinking ahead to the World Cup qualifiers that start early next season, with the sides looking to go to South Africa in 2010.

Milito and debut for Gai

Argentinian Milito is off with his side to Cairo, where Alfio Basile and co have a game with the current African champions, Egypt.

Young Gai Assulin, a member of Barça B, may make his Israel debut in a game on Wednesday against Chile. Although he has yet to make his Barcelona first team debut, 16 year old Gai Assulin has attracted the interest of national coach Dror Kashtan.

 
A doctor from the French Federation has arrived in Barcelona on Tuesday to confirm that Henry has sprained back muscles and will not be taking part in the game with England this week.
After analysing the French international, the doctors came to the same conclusion reached by the FCB Medical Services on Monday, in that the striker should not play in the game in Paris.

However, it is not a major injury, and it is still likely that Henry will be available for selection by Frank Rijkaard for Saturday’s game with Betis (20.00).

 
FC Barcelona have accepted and invitation from Fiorentina to play a friendly on June 30 in Florence as part the Memorial to Artemio Franchi.
On occasion of the 25th anniversary of the death of Artemio Franchi, ACF Fiorentina will be organisingd a UEFA endorsed event on June 30th. The FC Barcelona board agreed today for their club to take part in the game to be played in Florence in memory of one of the finest gentlemen ever to grace Italian ‘calcio'.

European year of intercultural dialogue

As part of the European year of intercultural dialogue, the game will also be played in support of fair play and anti-racism. These are the kind of values UEFA is keen to promote as it seeks to foster respect for opponents.

Previous appearances at the Comunale in Florence

FC Barcelona have appeared in Fiore’s stadium twice in the past. The first was in the semi finals of the 96/97 Cup Winners Cup, which Barça won 2-1 thanks to goals from Guardiola and Couto.

Then the sides met again in the group stages of the 99/00 Champions League. Barça drew 3-3 in a relatively meaningless game as they had already qualified while Fiorentina were already out.

 
The first team trained this Monday morning in a session that focussed on physical recovery for the players in the starting XI against Valladolid. It was not attended by Barça’s internationals.
Barça trained this morning after the victory against Valladolid (4-1). There were a lot of players missing as this week features a number of international fixtures. In addition the players from yesterday’s starting line-up had a lighter work-out basically designed to help them recover from their physical effort in the game.

10 players with their national teams

10 Barça players have been called up by their national sides to play friendly matches this week. They are Abidal, Thuram and Henry who will be turning out for France; Iniesta, Puyol and Xavi who will be with Spain; Bojan who is in the under-21 Spanish squad; and finally Zambrotta who will be with Italy, Milito with Argentina and Gudjohnsen with Iceland.

Touré does strength work

Touré Yaya, who was in the starting XI, didn’t appear on the pitch at La Masia as he was doing strength work. Also absent were Deco, Ronaldinho, Jorquera and Oleguer who are still sidelined by injury.

Four reserves

The session was run by Frank Rijkaard’s assistants, Johan Neeskens and Eusebio Sacristán. The Barça B players who were in the squad for the Valladolid match, Víctor Sánchez, Víctor Vázquez and Pedrito, together with reserve goalkeeper Dani Planchería, joined Sylvinho, Ezquerro, Valdés, Pinto, Edmílson, Eto'o and Giovani at the session. Giovani has had a niggle in his left foot over the last few days but today trained normally with his team-mates.

Márquez at La Masia

Half an hour after the squad took to the field Rafa Márquez also appeared at La Masia to continue with his recovery programme. The Barça defender worked separately from the rest of the squad with one of the team’s fitness coaches.

 
The Brazilian full-back says that the team has to perform on the pitch which is where games are won. He thinks that “if we do our job properly every Sunday we can win the League”.
“Just talking the talk doesn’t convince anyone. That’s why we’ve got to walk the walk on the pitch.” That’s the forthright view of Sylvinho, who also believes that what Barça needs to do is to focus on its own results and not pay too much attention to what Madrid does.

The League

The Brazilian acknowledges that all the sides with a chance of winning the League are going to have a difficult run-in and that with nine games still to go anything can happen. He thinks that Villarreal, lying third just two points behind Barça and six behind Madrid, are in with a real shout for the title.

The Valladolid match

Sunday’s victory against Valladolid means that Barça have cut the gap behind leaders Real Madrid, who lost at home to Valencia, by three points. Sylvinho says the team were thrown off course by Valladolid’s 30th minute equaliser: “We started well and scored a goal, but when they equalised from the penalty spot we started to get a bit uptight and in the last 15 minutes of the first half our heads dropped. Then in the second half we played a whole lot better and the match turned out to be a really good one for us.”

Praise for Bojan

One of the key players against Valladolid, Bojan Krkic, was also praised by Sylvinho. “At a personal level I’m very happy with Bojan, both as a player and as a person. He had a great game yesterday and in general he’s playing fantastically.” However the Brazilian did point out that “he’s not doing it all by himself; his team mates, and especially the strikers, are really helping him out.”

 
He’s only 17, he’s not a world star and this is his first season in the First Division, yet Bojan Krkic is already racking up the numbers of a great footballer with FC Barcelona in the League.
This Sunday Bojan had his best match of the season so far in Barça’s first team, scoring two goals to round off the victory over Valladolid (4-1). Those two strikes give him a total of 7 in the League.

A goal every 134 minutes

According to Professional Football League statistics, Bojan Krkic has played 939 minutes in the League, which means he scores every 134 minutes. This strike rate is only bettered by Luis Fabiano (scores every 79 minutes), Nihat (every 123), Rossi (every 118) and Bojan’s team-mate Eto'o (every 85).

Nine times in the starting XI

Even though this is his first campaign in the First Division, Rijkaard spotted his talent early on and has put him in the starting line-up in 9 League matches, two of which he has played in until the final whistle. In those 9 games Bojan has scored six goals, the first one on his debut against Villarreal. The other five came against Murcia, Athletic, Almería and Valladolid. He’s also come on as a sub 14 times, notching one goal against Recreativo, and hasn’t played a single minute in only six games (Racing, Levante, Sevilla and Atlético de Madrid away and Athlétic and Almería at home).

Creates chances for his team-mates

In addition to these goals Bojan has also hit the woodwork twice, against Valladolid in the Nuevo José Zorrilla and against Espanyol at Montjuïc. The young striker also creates chances for his team-mates and already has three assists in the League.

Against Valladolid as well

Bojan’s ability to create chances was once again on show against Valladolid. He gave assists to Eto'o for Barça’s first goal and to Iniesta for the second and so had a hand in all four goals scored by the Catalans. He also had most shots on goal at four and was the striker who took part in most moves during the game.

 
With his goal against Valladolid the Cameroon striker has now scored against all the teams in the first division. The other star of the match was Bojan Krkik, who bagged his first brace for the first team.
Samuel Eto’o had Valladolid in his sights because it was the only team in the first division that he hadn’t scored against. The striker didn’t waste much time in putting that fact to bed. In the 23rd minute Bojan crossed from the left and Eto’o met the ball to get the first goal. It was his 11th goal in as many league games.

The number 9 was close to a second on various occasions. The clearest were when he missed an open goal (68 min) and later when he gave the chance to Bojan (83 min).

First brace for Bojan

It was in fact Bojan Krkik who bagged his first ‘double’ in the Barça shirt. With today’s two, the seventeen year old now has seven league goals.
The goals by Eto’o, Iniesta and Bojan (2) made Sesma’s penalty immaterial, apart from the fact that Barça have now conceded five penalties in the last six league games.

 
Andrés Iniesta stressed the importance of the victory over Valladolid following their poor run of form. The squad praised the contribution of Bojan and the fans.
The rout against Valladolid boosted the morale of the Barça players after their elimination from the cup. Andrés Iniesta had the following to say to the media: “4-1 is the best way to maintain confidence”. The midfielder spoke of the importance of the second goal after the restart. “It was important to start the second half well. Up to the penalty we had been playing quite well, dominating. Afterwards, we got nervous and lost control.”

Iniesta was also full of praise for Bojan, another of the day’s high performers. “It’s very difficult to be at that level at his age and he’s a huge asset.” On the fans, he had this to say: “It’s the team’s responsibility to engage the fans”.

Pedrito

“I don’t have the words to describe this moment”

“We made the most of the counter attacks and got what we deserved”

“The most important thing was to win and continue fighting. Now it’s time to move on and think about the next game”

“I had the chance but I couldn’t score”

“I’ll try to continue to make the most of these opportunities”.

Touré Yaya

“Valladolid were a difficult team and we needed the win”.

“I am very pleased with the support of the fans. They are always behind the team”.

Henry

“There are nine games to go and we have to try to win all of them”.

Zambrotta

“We played a good game, with some problems in the first half but we came out for the second with a strong mentality”.

“We’re happy with the goals in the second half”

“We’re very happy for Bojan”.

 
Since he arrived at Barça, Samuel Eto’o has scored against all the teams currently in the first division, except Valladolid, who he faces on Sunday. This will be his first match against Valladolid in Barça’s colours.
New opponent, new aim. Samuel Eto’o will try to continue his goal-scoring form in the league, a form which has seen him score ten goals in ten games this season. His next challenge to overcome is Valladolid, who, curiously, are the only team in the first division that the Cameroon star has not scored against in Barça’s colours. In fact, he hasn’t scored against them with any of his previous clubs either.

Debut

Also, Eto’o could play his fist game against the Castilians since he came to Barça. It’s worth remembering that Valladolid were relegated to the second division in 2003/04, when Eto’o was with Mallorca. Since then the number 9 hasn’t had the opportunity to face the Castilians as he was injured for the first meeting earlier in the season.

Favourite opposition

On the other hand are the teams against which Eto’o has scored most often. Curiously enough, at the top of the list is Eto’o’s previous club, Mallorca. He has scored six goals against the Islanders in only four games with Barça. It’s the same story with Levante – six goals in four games. Next are Racing and Osasuna who he has scored against five times each.

Other teams

Furthermore, Eto’o has scored against every other team in the first division. Apart from those already mentioned, he has scored four against Racing and Zaragoza; three against Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Atletic Club Bilbao and Getafe; two against Murcia, Recreativo and Seville, while Villarreal and Espanyol have proved more difficult opposition with Eto’o only managing one goal against each.

 
Ronaldinho has been added to the list of those players already out of Sunday’s game. Víctor Vázquez, Víctor Sánchez, and Pedrito have again been called up to the first team squad.
At the last minute, Ronaldinho has been added to the list of players unavailable for the game against Valladolid. Already out were Messi, Deco, Márquez, Giovani, Oleguer and Jorquera (all injured) and Milito, who is suspended. The Brazilian continues to have problems with the abductor in his right leg and will continue with treatment. He will now miss the game against Valladolid on Sunday. Ezquerro will also miss out for technical reasons.

The number of injured players has meant Frank Rijkaard has had to call up three players from the youth squad to complete the squad for the Valladolid game. So Víctor Vázquez, Víctor Sánchez and Pedrito, have another chance for first team action after travelling to Almeria last week.

Training behind closed doors

The team had a training session this Saturday afternoon in preparation for the visit of Valladolid. It was a closed doors session in the Nou Camp.

Unlike Friday,Víctor Valdés and Eidur Gudjohnsen trained normally, as did Giovanni dos Santos, who returned to the squad. Also at the session were youth team players Víctor Vázquez, Víctor Sánchez and Pedrito.

At the end of the training session the players made the way to their hotel.

 
Frank Rijkaard explained at his press conference that his players are working hard to return to winning ways. The manager pointed out that the team “fight hard and remain true to his philosophy”.
The Dutchman added that FC Barcelona always try to “play good football” and this Sunday will be no different: “I hope the team can make the fans happy because they deserve it”.

Difficult game

Sunday’s game against Valladolid in the Nou Camp, however, won’t be easy, admitted Rijkaard. “We have to fight because these types of games are the most difficult. Valladolid is a well organised and dangerous team”.

On the question of the number of goals conceded lately, the Dutchman said that “a short time ago our defence was working very well, but now we have the desire and attitude” to return to conceding fewer goals.

Better than Valencia

Asked about being knocked out of the cup by Valencia, the manager said that “we are upbeat despite the blow” in Mestalla. Rijkaard, however, believes that “Barça were better football-wise” than their opponents because they “had control of the game for the 90 minutes”. He added, therefore, that it shows that they “can lose a game but are capable of winning all their remaining games”.

Three injuries

Giovani, Márquez and Ronaldinho will be out for the Valladolid game due to various injures. With regard to Giovanni, Rijkaard explained that “he’s progressing well and finished his first training session on Saturday and came close to being selected”. Rijkaard said that Márquez was “close to returning to the team” and that Ronaldinho’s abductor problems in his right leg have returned but he finished training at about 99%.

 
The Barcelona first team returned to training on Friday and the session was marked by the disappointment and reflection of the Copa elimination the night before. The players had to refocus on the next game against Real Valladolid in the league.
Frank Rijkaard called the squad in for the first of two sessions ahead of the weekend match and ensured that everyone knew that there was no time to go over the defeat in Mestalla. All eyes now had to look ahead to the game in Camp Nou.

Valdés and Gudjohnsen

Víctor Valdés and Eidur Gudjohnsen did not participate in training as the players that played against Valencia went through a basic recovery programme. The Icelandic international has an abdomen injury, while the goalkeeper remained in the gym. Alongside the 16 first team players that trained, two players were called up from Barça B as Víctor Sánchez and Víctor Vázquez joined in.

Easy session

Everyone present joined together to wish Ronlaldinho a happy birthday before the session began with the usual warm-up routines. Then Éric Abidal, Samuel Eto'o, Carles Puyol, Bojan Krkic and Lilan Thuram worked with coach Albert Roca, the other players did some circuits. The group working with the physical coach then all returned to the changing room with the exception of Puyol and Thuram, who stayed behind to stretch.

Six of the players that played against Valencia, Touré Yaya, Xavi, Henry, Zambrotta, Iniesta and Puyol, all left the putch one-by-one, the remainder have enjoyed a passing exercise on a small-sided pitch that concluded with a shot at goal.

Practice game

The training session ended with a practice game of three-against-three with one goalkeeper, José Manuel Pinto. One team were Santi Ezquerro, Edmílson and Víctor Vázquez, while on the other were Víctor Sánchez, Ronaldinho and Sylvinho.

 
The Copa del Rey has been cruel to Barça as the only defeat that the team tasted all season in the competition saw them eliminated having already beaten such luminaries as Sevilla and Villarreal.
Frank Rijkaard's team defeated Alcoyano in their first round and worked their way through to play and knock out holder Sevilla before taking on Villarreal and winning after a very close couple of matches. The Blaugrana won through the three rounds before the semi finals, with two wins, four draws and no defeats. Valencia were next up in the semis.

Same as last term

In the first leg against Los Ché, the two teams drew 1-1 in Camp Nou and a high scoring draw or an outright victory in Mestalla would have seen Barça make it through to the final. But the home side won 3-2 and Barça were facing up to going out of the competition at the same stage as they did last season, when they were beaten 4-0 in the second leg of the semi final against Getafe.

Barça dominance

In the semi final against Valencia the Blaugrana dominated possession as they recorded an overall average of 61.55 per cent on the ball in Mestalla. The visitors also had far more chances on goal as they managed 15 shots to the hosts eleven and made more attacking passes with 121 recorded to Valencia's 117. Barça also put in more crosses with 35 balls into the area to the home team's 14. The most important statistic though, did not go in Barça's favour as they scored twice and Valencia scored three.

Henry is top scorer

One of the stars of Barça's cup run this term has been Thierry Henry who was the top goalscorer in the competition with four. The Frenchman scored a goal in each round as his efforts against Sevilla and Villarreal proved to be decisive.

 
Touré Yaya could not hide his regret after Barça were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Valencia on Thursday, but believes the squad is ready to play for the title and the Champions League.
The Ivory Coast international recognised that the cup elimination was a hard blow to take for the team: "We did not play the game that we needed to in the situation," he explained. "We came back too late in the game and we are conscious of the mistakes that we made in the match when a draw would have been enough. It is a difficult situation for the team, but we have to lift our heads and go for the other two competitions that we are still in."

All to play for

With the domestic title and the Champions League still to play for, Touré is confident that Barcelona can learn from the Valencia defeat and make a real push to win a trophy. "We can win both competitions, but it will be difficult," he said. "There are still a number of games in the league to make up the gap. I think that we have options to win both, but we need to turn the page and keep going."

 
Visibly affected by the elimination from the King’s Cup, Frank Rijkaard pointed out the spirit and fight of his players but, at the same time, explained the reason for the defeat against Valencia as giving away three soft goals.
FC Barcelona have been knocked out of the King’s Cup after losing 3-2 in Mestalla. Despite the defeat, the Barcelona manager said he felt proud of the fighting spirit of his players up to the last moment and lamented the manner in which they gave the goals away: “I feel proud of the way the players fought as a team. It’s a difficult moment for us but I am with this team. The squad has worked really hard but we conceded goals too easily”.

3-1 – crucial moment

For Frank Rijkaard, the third Valencia goal, whren Barça had just got a goal back (2-1) was the key moment of the match: “We started the game well but we conceded a goal. Then we did everything we could and Valencia scored again. Despite everything, the team continued fighting and made it 2-1. But 3-1 killed us. It was a crucial moment. It’s a pity, and I think the team deserved more”.

Nobody to blame

The manager refused to single anyone out for blame for the defeat: “It’s not my way and I won’t do it. There’s always someone who wants to look for someone to blame and if that’s the case then look to me because I’m the manager of this team”. Finally, Frank Rijkaard said that “ we have to continue with this fighting spirit because other important moments will surely come when we can be happy. Nobody can say that this team doesn’t want it. We scored two goals here but it wasn’t enough, and of course something isn’t right”.

 
The president of FC Barcelona has recognised the effort of the team in Mestalla on Thursday and hopes the players can lift themselves for the remainder of the season.
After the game, Joan Laporta first congratulated Valencia on reaching the final. But secondly he said that “we have been eliminated but with dignity. We were within touching distance but in the end it wasn’t to be”. Both Laporta and the dressing room have resorted to continue fighting in the final stages of the season with the league and Champions League still to play for.

Lift the spirits

Joan Laporta believes that now is not the time to look back but “to look forward”. Therefore it’s necessary to “raise our spirits. We are all sad about what happened and how it happened. We have to lift our morale and get the right spirit to face the remainder of the season”, said the president. Apart from the league, Barça have the quarter-finals of the Champions League to play. Laporta believes that “today I have seen a team that can win the Champions League”.

Dressing room - sad

The captain Carles Puyol also spoke after the game and said he was sad at just missing out on the final again: “The team gave it everything, they fought hard, but that’s football. I understand the fans are hurt but I can only say that we will fight for the competitions that are left”.

For his part, Sylvinho said “it’s a difficult moment. It’s a very bad night but we have to move forward because there’s no other way”.

 
The Ivorian and the Italian, the latter who missed the game in Almeria through suspension, are among the seventeen players named in the squad for the cup match in Valencia. But Oleguer is out because he needs treatment on an injured finger.
Touré Yaya and Zambrotta are the main additions to the team for the second leg of the cup semi final against Valencia.

But Ronaldinho, who is back training with the squad, and Ezquerro, who was given the medical all-clear on Tuesday, have been omitted.

Oleguer hurts finger

Also injured, of course, are Messi, Deco, Giovani, Márquez and Jorquera. Oleguer hurt the third metacarpian bone of his left hand in training, a repetition of the same injury that recently required surgery and meant he missed a month of football.

Training behind closed doors

Barça trained behind closed doors at the Camp Nou in the final session before going to Valencia. This was the second consecutive session to be closed to onlookers, for yesterday’s session in the Miniestadi was also a private one. Both sessions have included the presence of some reserve players, namely Pedrito, Víctor Sánchez, Víctor Vázquez, Eneko, Toribio and Fali.

 
Oleguer has a second fracture of the third metacarpal bone in his left hand which is situated below the fracture for which he recently had surgery. He will be unable to move his hand for a period of four weeks.
The Catalan did not take part in the final training session before departing for Valencia. Oleguer took a knock to his third metacarpian bone in his left hand and needed immediate treatment.

Following the medical tests carried out on Tuesday afternoon a second fracture of the third metacarpal bone in the left hand has been diagnosed which is situated below the fracture for which he recently had surgery. The FC Barcelona Medical Staff, the traumatologist Dr. Xavier Mir and the player himself have agreed upon the treatment to be followed and surgery has been discounted. According to the press release  "the player will be unable to move his hand for a period of four weeks".

Injured on February 9

Oleguer Presas first injured his hand in the match against Sevilla on February 9. Four days after that the defender received surgery on the third metacarpian bone in his left hand. A month later on March 13, he was given the medical all-clear.

 
It is ten year since Barça beat Mallorca in Mestalla to become the club who has won the Copa del Rey on most occasions with 24 titles. As such, Valencia’s ground is one that brings back fond memories for the Catalans.
Mestalla is, aside from being a difficult ground to visit, a stadium that harbours fond memories for Barça, especially in the context of the knock out competition. It was at Valencia’s ground that FC Barcelona won their 24th Copa del Rey in the season 1997/98, proclaiming the title of ‘King of the Cup’. An exciting final

On the 29th of April 1998 Barça and Mallorca came out on to the field at Mestalla to contest the Copa del Rey Final. The Balearic side, thanks to some great play down the left from Amato and a finish from Stankovic, had the ball in the net in the 7th minute to open the scoring in Valencia. Héctor Cúper’s side stayed ahead for 60 minutes until Rivaldo levelled the scores finishing off a pass from Giovanni inside the six yard box. Even though Mallorca were down to 9 men thanks to two red cards, the game remained level after 90 minutes. In extra time, despite having a numerical advantage, Louis Van Gaal’s side could not make it count. Victory on penaties The time came for the game to be decided via the lottery of penalties. The tension was palpable in Mestalla with Ruud Hesp for Barça and Carlos Roa for Mallorca the two goalkeepers involved. The Dutchman made the decisive save in the shoot out from former Barça player Eskurza. That stop gave Van Gaal’s team the victory after a grand total of 16 penalties. That day in Mestalla Barça went into the history books as triple champions as they had already won the European Super Cup and the League, and they were able to claim themselves ‘King of the Cup’.

Return to Mestalla Ten years later the blaugranes return to Mestalla once again in the Cup. This time it is not in the final itself, nevertheless, Barça will be playing for a place in this season’s final at a ground at which they became the club with the best record in the competition, an honour that no-one has yet taken from them.

 
Frank Rijkaard feels the side is well focussed on the cup semi final. He also said that Ronaldinho, who is still not fully fit, was left out as a precautionary measure.
Barça face Valencia in the cup semi finals on Thursday. “Everybody knows how important the game is. We have to qualify and present a good image of ourselves”, said Frank Rijkaard in his pre-match press conference. He said “the 1-1 in the first leg means we are going to have to get a goal, play well and be well organised”.

Good mentality

Rijkaard feels his men “have a good mentality for doing that … We have to show that we are better”. He also feels that criticism “is a part of the job … All of the players are committed to the team.” On Valencia, he said “the y will approach the game in a similar way to the way they approached the game at the Camp Nou”.

Protection for Ronnie

There has been a lot of talk about the absence of Ronaldinho. Frank Rijkaard explained that “today was the first day he has trained with the team for several days. He wanted to play but we left him out as a precautionary measure … I have no doubts about the player, and although he has problems, he wants to play … My idea is always to defend the players. I see no need to draw conclusions anywhere other than in the dressing room”.

A qualified squad

But it is not just Ronaldinho. Rijkaard knows that “unfortunately the team is used to playing with important players missing. They are ready.” He is also delighted to see how injured players like Márquez and Giovani are progressing, and soon “they will be able to rejoin the group.” The Dutchman said that both Mexicans were able to train today at the Camp Nou, but in isolation from their team mates.

 
Samuel Eto’o played his 100th game for Barça against Almeria and celebrated the occasion with his 72nd league goal and hopes to continue his goalscoring form in the cup game at Mestalla.
Only Mariano Martín, with 90 goals and the legendary Ladislao Kubala, with 84, have scored more goals than Eto’o in 100 league games. In an interview with Barça TV and www.fcbarcelona.cat, Eto’o said how honoured he is to form part of the club’s history and thanked his colleagues for helping him to achieve what he has done: “It is an honour to play with these players and is also a recognition for the team as a whole. I only have words of thanks for my colleagues and without them I could not have scored so many goals in these 100 games. Thanks to God I have scored a lot of goals, but most of all I hope to make it to 200 games for Barça and win lots of titles with my club”

“We have to play to the death against Valencia”

The next challenge for Eto’o is helping his side into the final of the Copa del Rey. Barça need to win or draw by more than one goal to make up for the home draw, 1-1, at the Camp Nou. “Our life is at stake in Valencia”, said Eto’o. “It is a very important game of the season for us because we are so close to the dream of lifting the Copa del Rey. We will be humble going to Valencia and ready to die on the pitch. If we go out, it will be because Valencia have played much better than us. I am sure we will know how to suffer as it will be very difficult for us to qualify for the final”.

Happy hunting ground for Eto’o

Eto’o’s last trip to Mestalla bears hope. The Cameroonian scored twice against Valencia earlier this season as Barça cruised to a 3-0 win. Eto’o is hoping that history can repeat itself: “Mestalla is a good ground for me but I would rather say that it is a good ground for Barça. If I score two goals but we don’t qualify, my scoring run at Valencia will have served for nothing”.

Learning from Getafe

Last year Barça suffered a serious reverse when crashing out of the cup at this stage to Getafe. Eto’o knows the situation is different this time, but hopes they have learned from past mistakes: “Against Valencia we need a positive result, to win or draw by more than one goal. In the game against Getafe, we had to defend a favourable result and in situations like that sometimes you don’t know whether to attack or defend. We learned our lesson and I hope that experience will help us qualify for the final”.

 
Touré Yaya exercised normally with the rest of the team after training alone all week. The first team trained behind closed doors in preparation for Thursday’s cup match with Valencia.
The session was held in the Miniestadi, and featured the presence of Touré Yaya. The Ivorian has been out all week with a hernia in his back, not having worked with his colleagues since March 10, the day after the match with Villarreal.

Six B players

As well as the 18 first team players, Frank Rijkaard called upon six Barça B players Pedrito, Víctor Sánchez and Víctor Vázquez, who were all named in the last squad, and Eneko, Toribio and Fali.

Ronaldinho worked on his own at La Masia with a fitness coach, while the other injured players continued their respective programmes.

Final session on Wednesday

The first team will train again behind closed doors this time in the Camp Nou, starting at 11.00 am. This will be the last training session before the cup game on Thursday.

 
“A very important game for the way the end of the season pans out”, is how Andrés Iniesta has described the return leg of the Copa del Rey match with Valencia.
Andrés Iniesta spoke to the media after the training session behind closed doors on Tuesday evening. “This is a very important moment of the season, the game on Thursday means a lot towards the way the end of the season is going to pan out”, he started by saying and then added that “everything else has to be laid to one side because we are one step away from playing in a final”.

A difficult game

But the midfielder knows the game with Valencia will be difficult because “the first leg result was not favourable. The idea is to win the game … it is a game we have to win or win, and to do that we are going to have to score one or more goals”. The Fuentealbilla born player said that this was no hard target for a side that “always plays to win, keep possession of the ball as much as possible and tries to control the game”.

Group commitment

Andrés Iniesta spoke about commitment, saying “we all want to win for ourselves and to make the people happy, that is the best thing a footballer can have”, and the one thing the squad does not want is to finish the season without any titles. “That is not an idea that has come into our heads. Every season there are bad moments and we have to get over them. I am confident the season will end well.”

“Everybody is their own world”

That is what the player said about the injuries affecting the side. “There are players that feel pain more than others and when somebody says they have an injury it is because they have one. I don’t know of any player that has been able to play and train that has preferred not to do so.” He was speaking about Ronaldinho’s situation, about whom he said is “a very important player for the group”.

 
The first team will be having a series of intensive training sessions to get ready for their two games this week with a place in the Spanish Cup Final and three invaluable League points at stake.
After yesterday’s two-all draw at Almería, Frank Rijkaard’s side are today kicking off a week of intensive preparations for the return leg in the semi-finals of the King’s Cup at Mestalla on Thursday and the League fixture on Sunday when the visitors will be Valladolid.

Three sessions before travelling to Valencia

Before the squad head off to Valencia on Wednesday they will have had three sessions in Barcelona. The first, this Monday morning at La Masía, will be a warm-down from this weekend’s game. The players will then train behind closed doors on Tuesday at 6 pm in the Miniestadi and on Wednesday at 11 am in the Camp Nou.

Wednesday’s session will be the last before the team travels to Valencia to take on Ronald Koeman’s outfit on Thursday with kick-off set for 8.45 pm.

Two sessions to gear up for the League

Then with hardly a break the first team will be back at La Masia at midday on Friday to start getting ready for Sunday’s home League fixture against Valladolid (kick-off: 5 pm). Frank Rijkaard will put the finishing touches to his preparations at 6.30 pm on Saturday evening behind closed doors in the Camp Nou and then announce his squad for the matchday 29 League encounter. Afterwards the players will head off for their pre-match hotel.

 
Barça are forgetting about the League for the moment to concentrate on the King’s Cup. This Monday the players have had a warm-down session as thoughts turn to Thursday’s decisive encounter at Mestalla this coming Thursday.
Frank Rijkaard’s side were back training this Monday morning after Sunday’s draw away at Almería (2-2). The seventeen first teamers at La Masia were joined by seven Barça B players, Oier, Víctor Sánchez, Pedrito, Víctor Vázquez, Toribio, Eneko and Fali. All of them did a warm-down session and began getting ready for the King’s Cup semi-final return leg against Valencia.

Ronaldinho still undergoing treatment

One of the players currently sidelined, Ronaldinho, did come out to do some work at La Masia. The Brazilian international missed the Almería game with a groin strain and is still following his recovery programme. He appeared on the training ground to do some running and then headed back to the dressing room to continue receiving treatment.

Ezquerro rejoins the squad

A new face at this Monday’s session was Santi Ezquerro, who trained normally with his team mates. Ezquerro has returned after two months out with a groin strain that required specific treatment and kept him apart from the rest of the squad.

Light session for starting XI

Training began with the usual warm-up and stretching exercises. Afterwards six of the players from Sunday’s starting line-up – Valdés, Eto'o, Bojan, Abidal, Milito and Puyol – did some tempo runs and then returned to the dressing room. Thuram worked on his own as he usually does on the day after a game.

Guddy trains normally

Next up the players did some ball skills exercises with Eidur Gudjohnsen, who was taken off in stoppage time against Almería in some pain, taking part quite normally. Then the first team members split up into groups of three or four to work on passing. Virtually all of the players in Sunday’s starting XI then returned to the dressing rooms.

Practice match to finish

To finish up the players left on the training ground played a seven-a-side practice game on half the pitch. Oier, Henry, Oleguer, Zambrotta, Víctor Vázquez, Eneko and Toribio wore orange bibs, while Pinto, Ezquerro, Sylvinho, Edmílson, Víctor Sánchez, Pedrito and Fali played without one.

 
Xavi Hernàndez admits that Barça have let too many chances to catch up with the leader get away from them, but he says that the team is determined to battle it out in all three competitions until the end.
Xavi Hernàndez regrets that the team have given up so many opportunities to make up ground on the League leader. Even though the draw at Almería means that Barça have cut the gap with Real Madrid by a point, Xavi admits that that isn’t enough: “We have the feeling that we haven’t made the most of a great opportunity to catch Madrid. In the last three games we’ve only picked up one point and that makes it really tough to get back into the race. But we’ve got to keep going and buck up our ideas. From now on we can’t let slip any more chances. The players are motivated and determined to battle it out, not only in the League but also in the Champions League and the Cup.”

“Sometimes we lack maturity”

In both of the last two away matches, at Vicente Calderón and in Almería, Barça has dropped two points after being ahead. Xavi thinks that the team lacked a bit of maturity at some points in the games: “We have to be able to control games and know how to play when we’re in front away from home. Sometimes we should cool things down a bit and control things a bit more. We have to be more mature and more competitive in some aspects of our game, such as at set-pieces where we conceded two goals against Almería.”

The Cup and the Champions League are different

Barça is one game away from reaching the final of the Spanish Cup and has the chance of getting through the quarter finals of the Champions League against Schalke 04. Xavi appreciates this but thinks that they are different competitions from the League: “In the Cup and the Champions League everything depends on the form you have when you go into the game and also on luck. There’s no room for error and that means we have to make that extra bit of effort that maybe we just aren’t doing in the League. We think that there’s still time to turn things round if we draw or lose, and perhaps that’s where we’re going wrong.”

 
FC Barcelona’s rivals this Sunday, Almeria, are very close to ensuring they stay up in the First Division, which was their aim at the start of the campaign.
The Andalusians are on 37 points and just need two or three more victories to secure their place for next season.

Out of the three teams that came up last term Almeria are in much the best position and well ahead of Valladolid and Múrcia. In his second season as manager of the club, Basque Unai Emery has become one of the surprise coaches in this year’s campaign.

Good home record

Almeria have a pretty good home record in the League, with seven victories and just four defeats. Two of those wins at the Juegos del Mediterráneo stadium were against Real Madrid and Seville. Their home defensive record is also excellent as they have conceded only eight goals, the same as FC Barcelona and Racing de Santander.

27 years later

The last time that FC Barcelona played an official game in Almeria was in 1981. Barça, then coached by Helenio Herrera, ran out winners on that occasion by 2-5 at the old Franco Navarro ground. The previous year, when Quimet Rifé was in charge, the Catalans drew 1-1.

Since then Almeria has basically hovered between the Second Division B and the Andalusian Third Division. The breakthrough came in 2004 when they got promoted to the Second Division and the Juegos del Mediterráneo ground was built. They finally made it into the top flight last season and nearly a year later the club is almost assured of staying up and is close to the European qualifying spots.

 
Rijkaard isn’t pleased about the draw with Almería, mostly because Barça managed to get ahead twice.
However he is happy with how hard his team worked, especially when playing with ten men after Milito was sent off, and he wants his players to continue to believe in themselves.

After the two all draw away at Almería, Barcelona’s coach says it’s a pity his side couldn’t come away with all three points, especially when they had gone ahead twice in the game. However he was also full of praise for the way Almería played over the 90 minutes, and thinks they got even stronger after Milito was sent off when he saw his second yellow. As for the fact that both of Almeria’s goals came from set-pieces, in Rijkaard’s view “that’s a question of marking.”

“It’s a pity”

“You always have to look at a game as a whole and Almería are playing really well at home. They are pretty direct and physically strong. They are always at you and sometimes we found it hard to keep calm and play positional football,” said Rijkaard. “Yet we still went ahead and normally if you get two away from home that’s enough. It’s a pity. All the players worked their socks off. We just have to keep the faith.”

Praise for Almería

FC Barcelona’s coach was lavish in his praise for the way this Sunday’s rivals played: “The Almería players did a really good job. They played really well and knew exactly what they wanted to do.” In Frank Rijkaard’s view tonight’s game in the Juegos del Mediterráneo stadium was “pretty even” and added that “I think a draw was a fair result.”

Effect of Milito’s sending off

One of the key points in the game was undoubtedly Milito being sent off for two yellow cards. From then on Almería “really started to put on the pressure” while at the same time the Barça players “were working hard to hold out and try and close out the game.”

Only looking at Barça

Finally Frank Rijkaard had no comment to make about the points difference between Barça and Real Madrid but instead preferred to focus exclusively on his own team. “There’s no point in talking about other teams, and I don’t want to say anything else about them. What is obvious is that we have to go on working hard and we aren’t giving up on anything.”

 
The Argentinean defender thinks the team can’t give up on the League as there are still 30 points to play for which means Barça are still in the running.
One of the main figures of the game between Almería and Barça, Gaby Milito, says that the League is still a possibility as there are still 30 points to play for. Milito, who was sent off after receiving two yellow cards, agrees with his team-mates that “we have to keep on battling” to the end.

Gaby Milito:

“I don’t think I deserved the first yellow. The second is a different matter.”

“There are still 30 points to play for. Both teams have some tough games coming up and we’ll keep on battling.”

“We had the chance to cut their lead by three points but it just didn’t happen.”

Andrés Iniesta:

“It leaves you with a bad taste in the mouth because we were ahead twice and they scored two from set pieces. We just have to keep on going.”

“Playing with ten men is harder. We could only defend and in the end they scored from a corner.”

“You go away thinking about what might have been because we had the game virtually wrapped up.”

“We’ve got to keep on battling it out. We’ve managed to cut the lead by one point and there are still thirty to go. There’s no way we’re throwing in the towel.”

Carles Puyol:

“Of course you’re cross because we all worked hard. We’d done the hard part by taking the lead.”

“They’re a good side who are really dangerous on the break.”

“After the sending-off they just came at us.”

“We gave 110% out there. You get tired more because it was non-stop all the way. Towards the end we were trying to stay tight at the back and hit them on the break.”

“We won’t give up until we have no chance mathematically. We’ll keep on to the end.”

Eidur Gudjohnsen:

“It’s a pity because we’d hoped to come away with more than just a point.”

“I just took a hard knock. We’ll see what the doctors say tomorrow.”

“The first half was 100 mile an hour stuff. We needed to be calmer when we had possession. They put us under a lot of pressure. We played better in the second half.”

“We’re disappointed because we did everything we could to win. There’s still a long way to go and we believe we can still win the League.”

 
The Brazilian and the Mexican have joined the list of injured first team players and won’t be playing in Almería. Ronaldinho has a groin strain while Giovani’s left ankle is sore.
The unavailability of these two players combined with the continued absence of Deco, Messi, Jorquera, Touré Yaya, Márquez, Ezquerro and Zambrotta has forced Rijkaard to call up Pedrito, Víctor Vázquez and Víctor Sánchez from Barça B. All three of them trained with the first team this Saturday at the Camp Nou and are now members of an eighteen strong squad.

Oleguer is back

Oleguer Presas returns to the first team after missing seven games (four in the League, two in the Champions League and one in the Spanish Cup) as a result of breaking a bone in his left hand in the away fixture at Seville.

And so is Puyol

Oleguer is not the only new face in the defence as Carles Puyol also returns after missing the Villarreal match due to suspension. Gianluca Zambrotta will miss this Sunday’s game for the same reason.

 
Pedrito, Víctor Vázquez and Víctor Sánchez have been called up for the first team’s game this Sunday at Almería. Out of the three young talents only Víctor Vázquez has yet to play for Barça in an official match.
Pedrito made his debut against Murcia in the League on matchday 19 when he came on for Eto'o in the 88th minute. Víctor Sánchez was in the starting XI for the return leg against Alcoyano in the last 32 of the Spanish Cup.

Pedrito

Aged 20. 26 games for Barça B. 1945 minutes played. 5 goals. One of the most consistent players in the club’s reserve team, Pedrito is a real battler throughout the entire 90 minutes of a game in attack. He usually plays wide on the right, though he’s also played on the left and in the centre, and has an excellent touch with both feet. This is the second time he’s been called up for the first team after his debut against Murcia.

Víctor Sánchez

Aged 20. 25 games for Barça B. 2002 minutes played. 1 goal. Víctor Sánchez is a genuine all-rounder as he’s played in all positions this season except for goalkeeper. Even though his normal position is in midfield, recently he’s been covering the centre of the Barça B defence and can also play at full-back – against Alcoyano he played at right back — and up front. It’s the fourth time he’s been called up for the first team this season after the games against Espanyol, Alcoyano (return leg) and Seville (League).

Víctor Vázquez

Aged 21. 17 games for Barça B. 1213 minutes played. 6 goals. Víctor Vázquez is the only one of the three who has yet to play in an official competition for Barça. He is an attacking midfielder who can also play centre forward and has great vision. Excellent in one-on-ones, Vázquez is the third highest goalscorer for Barça B. This is the second time he’s been called up for the first team after travelling to Seville (League).

 
Schalke will play FC Barcelona in the quarter finals of the Champions League. The first leg will take place in Veltins Arena and the second game will be at Camp Nou.
The draw for the next round of the competition was made in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday. The semi final draw was also made and the winner of the Barça’s tie will face AS Roma or Manchester in the next round.

 
FC Barcelona will meet Schalke 04 in the quarter finals of the Champions League after the draw was made on Friday as the Bundesliga outfit made history by reaching this stage of the competition for the first time.
The only German side remaining in the tounrament, Schalke came out of the hat to be paired with the Blaugrana. Lying in fifth place in the table, Mirko Slomka's side cannot realistically win the title as they are 12 points behind leaders Bayern Munich, but are chasing a top three finish along with the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburg and Werder Bremen to ensure they make another appearance in the Champions League next term.

Aiming for top three

After 23 games of the German season, Schalke are no longer chasing the title as they have won ten matches, drawn eight and lost five. That inconsistency has meant that they have been unable to repeat their strong showing of last term, when they finished just two points behind eventual champions VfB Stuttgart.

Further than ever

In the group phase, Schalke finished second behind Chelsea in a group that also contained Rosenborg and Valencia. In those six matches, the German outfit won two, drew two and lost two. That saw them move through to the the next stage of the event.

In the first knockout round, Schalke defeated Porto 1-0 in Germany, but then opted to try and defend that lead in the second leg in Portugal and ended up conceding one goal before the end of 90 minutes. With no more scoring in extra time the tie went down to penalties and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was the club's hero as he won them the spot-kick lottery.

Kuranyi the key man

Kevin Kuranyi is one key player that Barça will have to watch as he has scored three times in the Champions League and has eight Bundesliga goals to his name this term. Gerald Asamoah and Halil Altintop are two other stars of Schalke's forward line.

At the back, Neuer is very highly rated and is said to be being watched by several of Europe's elite clubs. In front of him are players such as Marcelo Bordon, Mladen Krstajic and Rafinha in defence. In midfield Fabian Ernst and Jermaine Jones stand out.

 
Touré Yaya has had his name added to Barcelona's injury list for the game at Almería on Sunday, despite seeing his physical state improve on a daily basis with hard work paying off in the gymnasium.
The Ivory Coast midfielder joins Lionel Messi, Deco, Albert Jorquera and Santi Ezquerro, who have all been ruled out of the encounter already.

Young ones

Six Barça B players were called up to participate in training on Friday as Pedrito, Marc Valiente, Eneko, Toribio, Dimas and Guerra joined the first team squad. Ronaldinho was also present as he made his comeback after feeling some pain in his right leg the previous day. The Brazilian did return to the dressing room before the rest of his teammates, however.

Out of action

Ezquerro, Giovani Dos Santos, Deco and Rafa Márquez were missing. Deco was told yesterday that he would not be able to play at the weekend in case he aggravated his calf injury further. Márquez was in the stadium gym.

 
Eusebio Sacristán believes that if FC Barcelona are to beat Schalke 04 and progress to the semi f