Wazzup with FC BARCELONA?!! (News)

[Classik]

Barça arrive in Valencia
WWW.FCBARCELONA.CAT 04/14/2012 11:30
The team led by Josep Guardiola have arrived in Valencia, where they will face Levante at 22.00

Directors luncheon
As usual, Levante and FC Barcelona representatives with gather for the traditional directors luncheon before the match. On this occasion, the luncheon will take place at Nou Racó del Palmar at 15.00
The team left the Ciutat Espotiva Joan Gamper at10.15 for El Prat Airport and arrived in Valencia at 11.55. Upon arrival the team went directly to their hotel, where they will stay until kickoff time at the Ciutat de València .
The Barça expedition
Besides the 18 players named to the team for this evening’s match, vice president Jordi Cardoner , board members Susana Monje and Pilar Guinovart and football director Andoni Zubizarreta travelled with the team.
It’s worth noting that one of the reserve players called up by Guardiola to face Levante, Martín Montoya , turns 21 this Saturday.
Return on Sunday
The team will spend the night in Valencia. Barça will start their journey home at 10:30 and arrive in Barcelona at 11:20.

FCB

 

[Classik]

Messi, 201 goals with Guardiola
WWW.FCBARCELONA.CAT 04/14/2012 23:58
Leo Messi has scored 201 goals for FC Barcelona since Guardiola took charge of the Barça bench. The player, with a spectacular average of 0.96 goals per game, has only needed 210 official matches to reach this goal-scoring mark

Leo Messi, contra el Llevant. FOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB.
Leo Messi, contra el Llevant. FOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB.
His 201 goals
Season 2008/09
38 goals in 51 matches
Season 2009/10
47 goals in 53 matches
Season 2010/11
53 goals in 55 matches
Season 2011/12
63 goals in 51 matches
Leo Messi ’s name tends to be on people’s lips before and after FC Barcelona play a match. Today is no exception. The Argentine genius has scored 201 goals with Josep Guardiola on the Barça bench. It took Messi only 4 seasons to accomplish this feat (210 official matches). SinceGuardiola decided to position Messi closer to the opposition’s goal, the Argentine has turned into a veritable goal-scoring machine, averaging 0.96goals per game. With Rijkaard , under whom Messi made his debut on October 16 2004 against Espanyol, the striker scored 42 goals in 110 official matches (0.38 goals per game).
Constant progress
The best player in the world has consistently improved year after year. In his first season with Guardiola, 2008/09, he scored 38 goals in 51 official matches. In 2009/10, he scored 47 in 53 matches. Last season he scored 53 goals in 55 official matches. This year he already has 63 goals in 51 matches, averaging 1.2 goals per game. So far this season, he’s scored 41 goals in the Liga, 14 in the Champions League, 2 in the Cup, 3 in the Spanish Super Cup, 1 in the European Super Cup and 2 in the Club World Cup.
With 63 goals already scored this season, Messi is a strong contender for a slew of new records: he is in the running to claim his second Pichichi title in the Liga, he could finish the season as the highest goal scorer in the Champions League for the fourth consecutive season, he is close to winning his second European Golden Shoe (formerly known as Golden Boot) award and he’sonly 5 goals back from Gerd Müller ’s historic record of 67 scored goals in one season.

FCB

 

[Classik]

Llevant - FC Barcelona: Confidence boostingfightback (1-2)


04/15/2012 00:08
Two goals from Leo Messi in reply to an early opener from Barkero gave Barça the win againstLevante to keep them just four points behind theleaders Madrid

PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB
The title race is still on as Barça chalked up yet another win to stay in touch with Real Madrid, who had earlier beaten Sporting 3-1, but it was hard work for Guardiola ’s men, who had to come back from one down after Barkero had scored a first half penalty to give the hosts the lead. Barça were unable to pull level until the hour mark, when Messi took over, firing n a left footed drive from the edge of the box and then hammering home a brilliant penalty after Cuenca had been bundled over in the box.
Attention now switches to Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final against Chelsea , with the big one against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou next weekend on the horizon.
Early control
Barça began the game seven points adrift at the top, but they showed no nerves as they set aboutovercoming fifth placed Levante. With Alexis andPedro both playing wide, there might not have been a natural target man up front, but Guardiola’s team were soon carving out chances,as both Pedro and Messi tested Munúa and Thiago had a couple of good headed chances. The visitors were in charge, but Levante’s massed defence was always going to limit the clear chances on offer.
Barkero penalty
Levante were always going to be a danger on the break though and when once such speedy break resulted in a corner, the ref blew for a penalty after Busquets handled in the box and Barkero strode up to fire past Valdes and give histeam the lead. In truth, Barça then found it hard to settle into their rhythm and looked a little slow as they tried to find their way through Levante ’s defence for the equaliser and found it hard to create too many chances before the break.
Messi leads the fightback
At the start of the second half, Guardiola broughton Cuenca for Xavi and soon after replaced Pedro with Iniesta as he looked to dominate in the middle and open up the flanks, particularly through Cuenca, who started the move that ended in Messi’s equaliser on the hour mark. TheArgentinean played a quick one-two on the edge of the box and curled in a great shot to set up an exciting last half hour.
Messi seals the win
Cuenca was also key to the winning goal when he was bundled over by Bothelo as he ran on to a clever return pass from Cesc . Despite the homeplayers’ protestations, the ref pointed to the spotand Messi hammered the penalty home high to the keeper’s left for the winner. There was no way that Barça were going to let such a hard won lead slip and they controlled the game as the clock ran down to take the three point.

FCB,

Roger Bogunyà

 

[Classik]

Guardiola: “Levante are one of the worst teams to make have to fight back against"


04/15/2012 00:50
The Barça manager highlighted the difficulty of fighting back after Bakero’s initial goal
Guardiola praised Levante’s defensive organization and said that “they are where they are because they’ve done a good jobâ€
“It’s a little less impossible,†said Guardiola on Barça’s chances of winning the La Liga title

Cardoner: “We have a winning Barçaâ€
The FC Barcelona Social Area vice president said that the attitude displayed by the players after conceding the goal against Levante fills him with pride and that “we have a winning Barça.†He added, “in the end the team proves it.†Jordi Cardoner , who congratulated Levante for their attitude in tonight’s match, is especially satisfiedwith the fact that Barça “have once again shownthat they are capable of fighting back after conceding a goal.†For the vice president, the penalties that were called at the Ciutat de València “were no decisive.â€
Thinking ahead to Barça’s upcoming La Liga match, the Clásico, which will be played on Saturday at the Camp Nou, Cardoner is clear that “it will be a match that will win new fans over.†He added “I understand that nothing is said and done in La Liga until the end of the season.†Lastly, in the name of FC Barcelona, the vice president offered his “sincerest condolences†to the family and friends of Morisini.
Barça won three valuable points at the Ciutat de València to keep their La Liga title hopes alive. The team was forced to fight back from a one goal deficit against one of the teams, according to Josep Guardiola , that are “one of the worst to fight back against.†In the end, Barça managed to win the match 1-2 , to which Guardiola said “itkeeps us in it,†in reference to the battle with Real Madrid for the top spot of La Liga.
The manager highlighted the qualities of Barça’srival: “they are one of the worst team to have to fight back against. They are very well organized on defence, they have players with a lot of experience. Furthermore, they’re fantastic on thecounter. After the first goal, they went back [in their own half] to defend the result. It’s clear that Levante have made it to where they are now because they’ve done a good job.â€
On how the game played out, the manager said that “in the second half we opened up the field. Our objective was to score the 0-1, but after conceding a goal, we had to change some things up to win the match. Cuenca gave us amplitude. Playing a goal down against these types of teams is very complicated, and if you lose the ball they kill you. We tried to attack with everything we had and in the end we managed to get a result that keeps us in it.â€
First, Chelsea
Even though a lot of the attention is now on nextweekend’s Clásico at the Camp Nou , Guardiola said that he’s more eager to face Chelsea: “I don’t have the strength to think about it [the match against Madrid]. We have to focus on Chelsea, it’s a Champions League semifinal.â€
“It’s a little less impossibleâ€
He did say that the match against Madrid will be marked by the power “of a team that have only lost two matches†in the Liga and he anticipates a “terribly difficult†match. He added, “if they win, it’s over. We’ll see how we come into e match. We’ll have to play a very good game to beat them.†On Barça’s chances of retaining the Liga title, Guardiola said that “it’s a little less impossible.â€

FCB,

VANESSA FORNS

 

[Classik]

Llevant - FC Barcelona: Confidence boostingfightback (1-2)
Two goals from Leo Messi in reply to an early opener from Barkero gave Barça the win againstLevante to keep them just four points behind theleaders Madrid


04/15/2012 00:08

The title race is still on as Barça chalked up yet another win to stay in touch with Real Madrid, who had earlier beaten Sporting 3-1, but it was hard work for Guardiola ’s men, who had to come back from one down after Barkero had scored a first half penalty to give the hosts the lead. Barça were unable to pull level until the hour mark, when Messi took over, firing n a left footed drive from the edge of the box and then hammering home a brilliant penalty after Cuenca had been bundled over in the box.
Attention now switches to Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final against Chelsea , with the big one against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou next weekend on the horizon.
Early control
Barça began the game seven points adrift at the top, but they showed no nerves as they set aboutovercoming fifth placed Levante. With Alexis andPedro both playing wide, there might not have been a natural target man up front, but Guardiola’s team were soon carving out chances,as both Pedro and Messi tested Munúa and Thiago had a couple of good headed chances. The visitors were in charge, but Levante’s massed defence was always going to limit the clear chances on offer.
Barkero penalty
Levante were always going to be a danger on the break though and when once such speedy break resulted in a corner, the ref blew for a penalty after Busquets handled in the box and Barkero strode up to fire past Valdes and give histeam the lead. In truth, Barça then found it hard to settle into their rhythm and looked a little slow as they tried to find their way through Levante ’s defence for the equaliser and found it hard to create too many chances before the break.
Messi leads the fightback
At the start of the second half, Guardiola broughton Cuenca for Xavi and soon after replaced Pedro with Iniesta as he looked to dominate in the middle and open up the flanks, particularly through Cuenca, who started the move that ended in Messi’s equaliser on the hour mark. TheArgentinean played a quick one-two on the edge of the box and curled in a great shot to set up an exciting last half hour.
Messi seals the win
Cuenca was also key to the winning goal when he was bundled over by Bothelo as he ran on to a clever return pass from Cesc . Despite the homeplayers’ protestations, the ref pointed to the spotand Messi hammered the penalty home high to the keeper’s left for the winner. There was no way that Barça were going to let such a hard won lead slip and they controlled the game as the clock ran down to take the three point.

FCB,

Roger Bogunyà

 

[Classik]

Messi: "It was a very difficult ground to play in, but we managed to get a fantastic result"

04/15/2012 00:56
The Argentine striker, who scored a brace in Barça’s win over Levante, is now focusing on the Champions League semifinal against Chelsea
Lionel Messi refused to be drawn into a debate about his goal-scoring contest with Cristiano Ronaldo as he appealed to his teammates to maintain their good form in La Liga

Training session on Sunday
Barça will hold a closed-door training session this Sunday at 12:30 at the Ciutat Esportica Sant Joan Despí. Javier Mascherano will hold a post-training press conference.
Messi, on his goal-scoring contest with Cristiano Ronaldo: “things are going well for us, but what’s really important is that we’re both fighting for La Liga title"
Cesc: “Barça have a great fighting spirit, we’re very competitiveâ€
Thiago: “The Club’s philosophy is incredible. It’s a joy for us youngsters, we have to be thankful to the Club for giving us confidence"
Vital victory at the Ciutat de València (1-2) which allows Barça to maintain the four-point gap withReal Madrid at the top of the table. After the match, Lionel Messi , with two goals, said he wasvery happy to win the three points against this season’s surprise team. “We knew it was a difficult ground, Levante are having a fantastic season and we managed to get a great result,†said Messi while walking off the pitch.
However, the Argentine highlighted the difficulty of taking on Juan Ignacio Martínez ’s side: “at this point in the season every team is playing for something important. These matchesare very complicated.â€
On form and headed to London
After securing Barça’s 11th consecutive victory inLa Liga, Messi congratulated his teammates for keeping the winning streak alive. “We have to continue like this,†said the Argentine, “now it’s time to think about Chelsea, this is the most important match. It will be more difficult than the match against Levante.â€
La Liga goal-scoring rivalry
Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have made history in La Liga as they are both level on top of the goal scoring chart. Both players, with 41 goals apiece , have shattered the previous record in their struggle to win the Pichichi award. Despite the ongoing duel, Messi highlighted the importance of the team’s success ahead of his own: “things are going well for us, but what’s really important is that we’re both fighting for LaLiga title.
“I’m happy that I scored because the team won,â€concluded Messi as he walked down the tunnel that leads to the dressing rooms.
Here are the statements made by FC Barcelona players after tonight’s match against Levante:
Víctor Valdés :
“Very hard-fought victory. I’m proud of the work that we did. I congratulate Levante for how they played, they are a very good team.â€
Pedro Rodríguez :
“It was a very difficult match, we knew that it was a complicated ground to play in. They had the early advantage but we managed to fight back.
“We dominated the whole match. After the penalty against us it was more difficult because they closed themselves off and their defence is very strong. For this reason it was so difficult to mount a comeback, but our insistence to play on the wings allowed the team to fight back. We’re very pleased.
“We’re facing a very difficult week. We’ll work hard and prepare for our upcoming matches.
“It was hard to reduce the gap with Real Madrid. We’ll try to prepare for next Saturday's match well to keep our title hopes alive in La Liga. The Clásico is important to both us and them.â€
Cesc Fàbregas :
“It’s clear that we can improve. It was a very difficult match but we managed it well.
“We’ve gained a lot of ground on Madrid. We went to the Vicente Calderón with a 13-point disadvantage and now were only 4 away. Despite it all, now it’s time to focus on Chelsea and forget about La Liga for a couple of days.
“This was one of our most difficult away matches, but we still have a few tough matches away from home. La Liga is still out of our hands. We won’t depend on ourselves even if we beat Real Madrid. There are a few matches left but the end of La Liga is still a long way off.
“Barça have a great fighting spirit, we’re very competitive.â€
Thiago Alcántara :
“We stopped thinking about the Liga in the second half. We gave it our all and we can now enjoy one of our most difficult victories.
“This is a very complicated stadium to play in, Levante are a fantastic team.
“I’m willing to play in any position. The objectiveis to always look for the win.
“The Club’s philosophy is incredible. It’s a joy for us youngsters, we have to be thankful to the Club for giving us confidence.
“Chelsea is a very complicated rival, they’re a historic European club. It will be a beautiful playoff.â€
Isaac Cuenca :
“It was fairly difficult, but we knew that what we were facing when we went up against Levante. It was complicated because they let us have the wings but it was hard to get good crosses in. In the end everything wored out andwe won the three points.
“I believe it was a penalty, I was pushed and thelinesman saw it and the referee called it.
“We’re going to give it our all in London to get a good result for the return leg at the Camp Nou.â€

FCB,

Sergi Garcia

 

[Classik]

Chelsea - FC Barcelona: Same teams, different trajectories
www.fcbarcelona.cat 04/15/2012 09:30
Nine players in Barça’s starting XI that featured against Chelsea three years ago continue to playfor Josep Guardiola’s team
While Chelsea have won 4 titles since the 2008/09 season, Barça have claimed 13

Xavi in the away leg of the Champions League semifinal of the 2008/09 season / PHOTO: ARXIU FCB
A lot can happen in three years and the paths taken by FC Barcelona and Chelsea , rivals in this season’s Champions League semifinal, prove it. The English team have won four titles (Community Shield in 2009, the 2009/10 PremierLeague and the FA Cup in 2009 and 2010) since Andrés Iniesta ’s goal at Stamford Bridge in the return lef of the 2009 Champions League semifinal. Barça, on the other hand, have claimed 13 titles.
Same group of players
The basic makeup of the teams, however, have changed very little over these three years. Most of the players that featured in Chelsea’s starting XI against Barça in the 2008/09 semifinal are still with the team. The only players that no longer continue with the Club are Ãlex , Ballack and Anelka , while Cech , Bosingwa , Terry , Lampard , Cole , Malouda , Essien and Drogba are still part of the London-based team.
Of the 11 Barça players that played against Chelsea three years ago, 9 remain with the team. Only Touré and Eto’o have left. In the 2009semifinal, the average age of the squads, however, was fairly different: 28 years and 10 months for Chelsea and 25 years and 11 months for Barça.
Three managers since Hiddink
While Josep Guardiola continues to lead FC Barcelona, three different managers have graced the Chelsea bench since Guus Hiddink: Carlo Ancelotti (2009/11), André Villas-Boas (2011/12) and Roberto de Matteo , who started on the 4th of March.

FCB

 

[Classik]

Stats and facts from Barça's 11th consecutive victory in La Liga
www.fcbarcelona.cat 04/15/2012 11:00
Barça’s players continue to break records thanks to the team’s victory over Levante on Saturday

Mascherano and Koné (Levante). PHOTO: MIGUELRUIZ-FCB.
- Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo , with 41 goals apiece, share the best scoring record in the history of the La Liga
- The Argentine has scored in 10 straight matches and he equals the all-time Barça record for goals scored in consecutive matches set by Mariano Martín and Ronaldo .
- Iniesta played in his 400th official match for Barça, catching Alexanko .
- Guardiola has won 50 matches away from the Camp Nou in La Liga as a manager.
- Barça’s ball possession at the Ciutat de València was 72%.
- Barça shot on goal 16 times to Levante’s 5.
- The visiting side only committed 6 fouls to the home side’s 15.
- Messi (6) and Thiago (4) were the Barça playersthat shot on goal the most.
- Mascherano (15) and Juanfran (13), were the players that won back the most balls.
- Thiago was the player that made the most passes, with 104, of them 98 were successful.

FCB

 

[God's_gift]

Messi: "It was a very difficult ground to play in, but we managed to get a fantastic result"

nice one there Classik

in a game , it's the way you play the crowd remembers you

 

[Classik]

nice one there Classik

in a game , it's the way you play the crowd remembers you

Thank you for honoring our professionalism.

 

[Classik]

Stats and facts from Barça's 11th consecutive victory in La Liga
www.fcbarcelona.cat 04/15/2012 11:00
Barça’s players continue to break records thanks to the team’s victory over Levante on Saturday

Mascherano and Koné (Levante). PHOTO: MIGUELRUIZ-FCB.
- Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo , with 41 goals apiece, share the best scoring record in the history of the La Liga
- The Argentine has scored in 10 straight matches and he equals the all-time Barça record for goals scored in consecutive matches set by Mariano Martín and Ronaldo .
- Iniesta played in his 400th official match for Barça, catching Alexanko .
- Guardiola has won 50 matches away from the Camp Nou in La Liga as a manager.
- Barça’s ball possession at the Ciutat de València was 72%.
- Barça shot on goal 16 times to Levante’s 5.
- The visiting side only committed 6 fouls to the home side’s 15.
- Messi (6) and Thiago (4) were the Barça playersthat shot on goal the most.
- Mascherano (15) and Juanfran (13), were the players that won back the most balls.
- Thiago was the player that made the most passes, with 104, of them 98 were successful.

FCB

 

[Classik]

Focus switches to Chelsea
www.fcbarcelona.cat 04/15/2012 13:10
The team arrived back from Valencia on Sunday morning and went straight to the Club’s training grounds for a warm-down session

After the hard-fought win away to Levante, the players spent the night in Valencia before returning to Barcelona on Sunday morning. Immediately after touching down at Barcelona airport the players headed for the Club’s traininggrounds. A crowded schedule leaves no room to relax. On Wednesday, the reigning European champions face Chelsea in London and today’s training session marked the start of the final countdown to the first leg of the CL semi-final.
Keita back with the main group
The players who took part in the win against Levante focussed on recovering tired muscles while the rest of the squad, including Seydou Keita, who rejoined the main group, worked out as usual. Afellay, who was recently cleared for a return to action by Club doctors though he did not make the trip to Valencia, took a full part in training today. Nine players from the reserve squad - Tello, Montoya, Masip, Carmona, Armando, Rosell, Sergi Gómez, Gustavo and Espinosa – joined the seniors for today’s workout.
The next training session will be held on Mondayafternoon before the squad travels to London. The game between Chelsea and Barça will kick off at 8.45 pm on Wednesday.

FCB

 

[Classik]

Mascherano: "Chelsea first"


04/15/2012 14:52
Mascherano stressed today that it would a mistake to focus on the Real Madrid game instead of Wednesday’s match at Stamford Bridge: “We’re in a Champions league semi-finalâ€.

Mascherano / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
Messi and the squad
In answer to the question as to whether the team depends too much on Messi’s goals, Mascherano praised his fellow countryman’s goal scoring talents but also pointed to the contribution of other team-mates: “We know that we have a player who usually gives us at least a one goal or the final pass for other players. Messi makes the difference and having the best player in the world in your team means you tend to depend a bit on him because he’s goal-hungry and it’s very possible that in any match he can be the deciding element. But you have to say that sometimes it’s the goals of Cesc, Xavi, Alexis or Iniesta that have kept us aliveâ€.
"We want to put the league out of our minds a bit and focus on Chelsea , because we have the chance of reaching the final of Europe’s top competitionâ€. Speaking at Sunday’s press conference, Javier Mascherano left no-on in any doubt as to the players’ attitude in a week that will be key to the Club’s aspirations both in Europe and in La Liga.
Not surprisingly, he emphasised that the result of Wednesday’s match at Stamford Bridge will be vital in the outcome of the tie: “It’ll be a really difficult tie that will depend a lot on getting a good result in the first leg against a team that has always been characterised by their tremendous physical strength, and which has some really experienced playersâ€.
Wednesday’s match first
"The main thing right now is Wednesday’s match. Afterwards, we’ll think about the league and Real Madrid . We’re in a Champions League semi-final and we have a great opportunity to reach the final. It would be a really big mistake to focus on Real Madrid first, because Wednesday’s match is very difficult and will go along way to deciding the tieâ€.
The Argentine international believes there’s “no room for error†in any of the competitions at this stage of the season and is proud of the spirit shown by the players game after game, as demonstrated by the comeback against Levante : “Faith is the last thing you lose and we have faith in what we can do. Then it depends, because you never know in football, but it’s important we have the right dynamic. Obviously the victory [against Levante] in the Ciutat de Valencia strengthens us, above all because we maintained the team spirit. It’s alive and well and won’t be beaten and keeps fighting against the oddsâ€.
However, by his own admission, Mascherano is not too keen to talk about the ‘what ifs’ and so doesn’t want to go into whether a win against Real Madrid on Saturday would bring the league title a little closer: “We are all aware that even ifwe win all our matches in the league we still depend on other results. Real Madrid have a four-point lead and we’ll have to see if we’re capable of beating them next weekend. It’s not in our hands. But what’s real right now is Wednesday, Stamford Bridge , Chelsea ".
The will to improve
Finally, Mascherano confirmed that he’s happy about his current form: “When you have a run in the side and you see that things are going well for the team then you improve individually as well. I’m in a team that demands individual improvemen. The fact is that each and every one of us has to give that little bit extra, the best we can, especially at this stage of the seasonâ€.

FCB,

VANESSA FORNS

 

[Classik]

Barça haven't won their last five matches against Chelsea


04/16/2012 10:00
Despite the great memory of Iniesta’s goal agains the London side in 2009, FC Barcelona have not been able to beat Chelsea in their last five match-ups. The last Catalan victory over Chelsea was in 2006

Xavi during the match at Stamford Bridge on October 18th, 2006 / PHOTO: ARXIU FCB
Memory can be selective. Barça’s record against Chelsea isn’t as successful as it would seem seeing that most recent memory in the Culé subconscious features Andrés Iniesta ’s stoppage-time goal that gave FC Barcelona a ticket to the final of the Champions League in 2009. However, FC Barcelona haven’t beat the London side in their last five times attempts. Thelast Catalan victory over Chelsea was in the 2005/06 season, when FC Barcelona won their second ever Champions League title in Paris.
Here's a snapshot of Barça’s last six matches against Chelsea:
VICTORY. Chelsea-FC Barcelona (1-2, February 21st, 2006) . Terry, who scored an own goal, and Eto’o overturned Motta’s own goal. Chelsea finished with 10 players, Del Horno was sent off, and Barça came away with a vital victory.
DRAW. FC Barcelona-Chelsea (1-1, March 8th, 2006). Ronaldinho, close to the end of the match,secured passage for FC Barcelona to the next round of the tournament. Frank Lampard equalised in stoppage time through a penalty. The team would go on to claim the title against Arsenal in Paris.
DEFEAT. Chelsea-FC Barcelona (1-0, October 18th,2006). Both teams met in the group stages of theChampions League. In London, Drogba won the three points for Chelsea.
DRAW. FC Barcelona-Chelsea (2-2, October 31st, 2006). It was a back-and-forth match at the Camp Nou. Lampard scored the equaliser in stoppage time. Both teams divvied up the points;Chelsea finished first in the group, FC Barcelona finished second.
DRAW. FC Barcelona-Chelsea (0-0, April 28th, 2009). In the away leg of the semifinals of the Champions League at the Camp Nou, FC Barcelona and Chelsea finished the match with agoalless draw. The Catalans deserved a bit more from the game.
DRAW. Chelsea-FC Barcelona (1-1, May 6th, 2009). Essien opened up the scoring in the first half with a sublime goal. The London side had Barça outnumbered on pitch for most of the game after Éric Abidal was sent off. Andrés Iniesta, with a fantastic goal in stoppage time, earned his team a spot in the Champions League final in Rome.

FCB,

ROGER BOGUNYÀ

 

[Classik]

10 key days for League and European hopes


04/16/2012 11:51
Over the next 10 days Barça will play three games that are key to success this season: the two Champions League semi finals and Saturday’s La Liga clash with Real Madrid
The two matches against Chelsea stand between Barça and another Champions League Final, whilst the Madrid game will define their chances in La Liga

PHOTO: ARCHIVE FCB
Only one day off from training
The squad will be playing three games in 10 days and also have a full schedule of training, with only this Wednesday without a session, match day at Stamford Bridge, where they will train on Tuesday evening.
Josep Guardiola has always repeated the same message to players and fans alike: “our objective is to get to April with our chances still intact in all the competitionsâ€. Once again this season that objective has been met, with the Spanish Cup, Champions League and La Liga all insight. The next ten days will be key to their success on both the domestic and European fronts.
Stamford Bridge and El Classico
First up this week is the trip to London for Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg. The team will fly to England on Monday and not be back at the Camp Nou until Thursday, as they attempt to revive the memories of their success at Stamford Bridge in the 2009 semi-final.
There’ll be little time to reflect on Wednesday’s game, as preparations will start for Saturday’s visit of Real Madrid as soon as the team get backto Catalonia. A win for Guardiola’s men would leave them just a point behind Madrid – piling the pressure onto Mourinho’s team, whilst a draw or a Madrid win would really make it tough for Barça to retain their title. This will be atruly decisive classico .
Munich final beckons
Just three days after the Madrid game, it’s Chelsea who are the visitors to the Camp Nou for the second leg of the semi-final and a game thatwill decide who goes through to the final in Munich in May. Barça have a great challenge ahead of them – to become the first team to retain the Champions League . Just as with the Madrid game, home advantage against Chelsea could prove key.
Over the next few days, Barça’s challenge for theLeague and Champions League could stumble, orthe team could once again stride on towards the May final in Munich and a thrilling close to the domestic league.

FCB,

Roger Bognuyà

 

[Classik]

Andrés Iniesta: “The team is looking good, I'm optimisticâ€


04/16/2012 17:43
Barça’s midfielder insisted this afternoon that : “the team are travelling to London looking for a win and not a drawâ€
Iniesta got the winning goal the last time these two met at Stamford Bridge: “I’m very proud of that goal and happy to have been able to have that experience. It’s a feeling that is hard to describeâ€
Iniesta also warned: “what happened in 2009 has got nothing to do with Wednesday’s gameâ€

“We are just 180 minutes away from a Champions League final. Our focus has to be on the Chelsea match"
“We are going there to get a win, to put in a good performance and commit as few errors as possible"
Iniesta ’s goal on 6 May 2009 was enough to send Barça through to the Rome Final against Manchester United and speaking to reporters at the Camp Nou this afternoon before the team trained and flew off for London, he revealed: “I guess it’s inevitable that that goal is being talked about again. It’s good to remember it because it was a special and very intense moment – not just for me, but for all of us. Life goes on though, and Wednesday is a different situation and a different game. I’m very proud ofthat goal and happy to have been able to have that experience. It’s a feeling that is hard to describe†.
Team enjoying good run
Iniesta also admitted that this week: “is fundamental, important, irreplaceable – whatever adjective you want to put : against Chelsea we are playing for a place in the Champions League final and on Saturday we are playing to keep our fight for the league title on course. This is a key moment of the season and the team are looking good, which makes us optimistic. At the start of the season, all of us would have taken the situation we are in now. We’ve been fighting hard for months and now we are here still in with a chance of winning everythingâ€.
There’s also no risk, according to Iniesta, that theteam will lack focus against Chelsea, distracted by the Madrid game: “we are just 180 minutes away from a Champions League final. Our focus has to be on the Chelsea match – if we are distracted and think about anything else, we will be making a mistake†.
More experienced Chelsea
Iniesta compared that 2009 game with Wednesday’s and reckons that Chelsea are now a more mature outfit: “they have more experience. They were strong in 2009 and they will be stronger now – strong, dangerous and intense. That will all be multiplied by the atmosphere at their own ground†. Iniesta also stressed the strengthening of the Chelsea team with the signings of his fellow Spanish internationals Fernando Torres and Juan Mata .
Finally, Iniesta insisted the players were clear that they had to go out and get a result in London: “we are going there to get a win, to put in a good performance and commit a few errorsas possible. We know it’s a two legged tie, but we are going there to winâ€.

FCB,

Anna Segura

 

[Classik]

First Team
Training session 16/04/2012
04/16/2012 17:50

Training session 16/04/2012 / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB

FCB

 

[Classik]

22 players named to the squad ahead of the Stamford Bridge clash
www.fcbarcelona.cat 04/16/2012 18:34
Guardiola named 18 first-team players plus Barça B's Oier, Montoya, Bartra and Tello to Barça's Champions League team
Seydou Keita, who missed the match against Levante, received medical clearance to play this Monday
Afellay, who was cleared to play last week, was named to the team for the first time since he picked up his injury in September

Keita received medical clearance to play this Monday / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB
Josep Guardiola has named 22 players to the Barça team for the Champions League semifinals. The manager named all 18 first-teamplayers plus Barça B’s Oier, Montoya, Bartra and Tello to the squad for the match against Chelsea this Wednesday. Seydou Keita , who was given medical clearance to play this Monday, and Ibrahim Afellay , the first time the Dutchman hasbeen named to a squad since his injury this past September, both got the nod from the manager.
Session with 23 players
Before departing for London, the 22 players named to the FC Barcelona team and Marc Muniesa trained at the Camp Nou. As usual in Barça’s away games in the Champions League, Guardiola is taking a third keeper, Oier . On another note, it’s worth mentioning that Puyol and Mascherano are just one yellow card away from suspension.
The team travelled to London this Monday afternoon and will not return to Barcelona until Thursday, two days before the Clásico with Real Madrid .

FCB

 

[Classik]

FC Barcelona arrive in London
www.fcbarcelona.cat 04/16/2012 19:37
The team arrived in London where they will faceChelsea on Wednesday in the away leg of the Champions League semifinals
Guardiola has named 22 players to the team for the European clash, including Keita and Afellay

Guardiola, a l'arribada a Londres / FOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
Meeting at Trafalgar Square
It’s almost becoming a tradition for FC BarcelonaSupporters Clubs when FC Barcelona play in London. On Wednesday Barça Supporters Clubs will gather at Trafalgar Square 45 minutes before Barça take on Chelsea.
FC Barcelona have arrived in London where they will face Chelsea in the away leg of the Champions League semifinal on Wednesday. TheBarça expedition left Barcelona this afternoon for England and they won’t return until Thursday. The team landed in London at 9 PM (local time) - one hour behind Catalan time - andwent directly to the team hotel.
Sandro Rosell , accompanied by members of the board of directors and FC Barcelona Football Director Andoni Zubizarreta , also travelled with the team.
Tuesday afternoon, Champions League preview
Tomorrow , Guardiola , who named 22 footballers to the team, will lead the only training session the team will have at Stamford Bridge before the match on Wednesday. The players, who will be back on the pitch where Andrés Iniesta scored the last-minute goal three years ago, will start the training session at 18:15(local time). At 17:35, Pep Guardiola and Cesc Fàbregas will hold a pre-training press conference.
At 19:45, representatives from both clubs will take part in the official directors supper. Sandro Rosell will lead the Barça delegation.

FCB

 

[Classik]

Torres and Mascherano spent 3 years together at Liverpool


04/17/2012 09:00
Torres and Mascherano were teammates at Liverpool from 2007 to 2010
Neither player picked up a trophy during their time under Rafa Benítez

At Liverpool, Torres scored 69 goals in 143 Premier League games, whilst Mascherano managed one in 94 games
The Argentinean was signed by Liverpool from West Ham during the 2006/07 winter transfer window and Torres joined six months later from Atlètico de Madrid
Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano will meet up again on Wednesday night when Barça face Chelsea. The last time when teams met in 2009, they were both at Liverpool , but this weekthey’ll be facing each other across the Stamford Bridge pitch.
Three years without a title
The Argentinean was signed by Liverpool from West Ham during the 2006/07 winter transfer window and Torres joined six months later from Atlètico de Madrid . During the three years they were together under Rafa Benítez, Liverpool failed to win a single trophy and soon after Mascherano joined Barça in 2010, Torres was also on the move, joining Chelsea in the winter of 2010-11.
At Liverpool, Torres scored 69 goals in 143 Premier League games , whilst Mascherano managed one in 94 games .
Mascherano key in defence
Should Di Matteo and Guardiola play them, the two are likely to have plenty of opportunity to renew their acquaintance, with Mascherano now a key member of the Barça back line, after playing primarily as a midfielder during his time at Anfield .

FCB,

Roger Bogunyà