Just Barcelona News

It has been a long, hard season for FC Barcelona, with injuries hitting the squad hard throughout. La Liga is wrapped up and, although there is a chance to equal the 100 points record set by Real Madrid last season, Tito Vilanova is not too concerned with the result against Valladolid tonight.

The Camp Nou will be a place of celebration and Vilanova has hinted that he will rest a few of the players who are tired and give games to some of the second string whose chances have been limited. Valdes is expected to return in goal and Mascherano has recovered from injury and could play, but there may be starting places for the likes of Bartra, Montoya, Thiago and others.   .....Read more here.......

It would not have been the best way to win the Spanish title if Barcelona had got it by default last night. That did not happen, though, because Real Madrid beat Malaga 6-2 at the Bernabeu. They still need to beat Espanyol on Saturday to have any hope of retaining the Spanish title, but that will disappear if Barca can win at the Vicente Calderon stadium on Sunday.   .....Read more here.......

Not too long ago, Barcelona were 16 points clear at the top of the Spanish Primera Liga table, but a poor run of form which has also seen an ignominious Champions League double defeat by Bayern Munich has seen that slip a bit. Real Madrid just managed to get the better of Valladolid in a seven goal thriller yesterday, so a win against Real Betis today would not be enough to confirm the title.   .....Read more here.......

If Barcelona are on form, they have the ability to score goals, especially if Lionel Messi is back to being close to his best. That is not the main problem for Barca tonight, however. The failure to score an away goal at the Allianz Arena last week has left Tito Vilanova and his team with no margin for error.

If Bayern Munich can score just one goal at the Nou Camp tonight, it will leave Barca needing to score six to progress to the final at Wembley on May 25th. Even at full strength, Barca can be a little vulnerable at the back, but we are far from being at full strength at the moment.   .....Read more here.......

Although the Barcelona players accepted that they were outplayed by Bayern Munich in the first leg at the Allianz Arena last week, it was clear that the referee was very helpful to the German side. The second and third goal definitely should not have stood, while the first was fairly dubious. Bayern were also allowed to commit constant fouls without being booked and that meant that Barcelona could not get any sort of rhythm going.

The president of Bayern Munich and a former player and manager, Franz Beckenbauer, must have no shame then after he suggested that the referee in the second leg at the Nou Camp needs to be strong to stop any cheating, from Barcelona!!   .....Read more here.......

It does not take a rocket scientist to work out that Lionel Messi is a key player for Barcelona. With 57 goals this season, it is not surprising that officials from Bayern Munich have been studying every aspect of Messi’s game and the way he makes space and links with his team mates.

Barcelona’s Champions League opponents tonight have also highlighted the influence of Xavi Hernandez from midfield. The German’s are a very good side themselves, both in attack and defence, but they know that Barcelona dominate possession against any team they play. It is this aspect of the game that Bayern will try to disrupt by putting pressure on Xavi.   .....Read more here.......

It would be a real life fairytale if it happened and, after coming through 90 minutes for Barcelona against Levante on Saturday, there is a decent chance that Eric Abidal could make his Champions League return against Bayern Munich tomorrow.

There will be no room for sentiment in the decision, but if the French defender does get the nod it will be a fantastic way to complete his miracle recovery from the liver problems that nearly ended his life, not just his football career.   .....Read more here.......

After Barcelona moved inexorably towards a 22nd Spanish title with a narrow victory over Levante on Saturday, all eyes turn to Germany. The Barcelona players are already in Munich for their game against Bayern tomorrow and it appears that the best player on the planet, Lionel Messi, is fit and ready to lead the Barca attack.

The Argentinean striker picked up a hamstring problem in the first leg of the quarter-finals against Paris Saint-Germain and the club have had him wrapped in cotton wool ever since. He only came on as a substitute in the second leg after PSG scored and Barca were faced with an early exit. Even though he was not fully fit and didn’t score himself, his presence made the team much more dangerous.   .....Read more here.......