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.......

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.......

Lionel Messi will have a late fitness test today to determine whether he can play for Barcelona tonight and if so, for how long. There will be more difficult decisions for Tito Vilanova to make as well, not least of which is who will be selected to partner Gerard Pique in the centre of defence.

Barca proved they have talent throughout the squad by beating Mallorca 5-0 on Saturday with more than half of the regular first team absent. PSG, however, are likely to provide a much sterner test. It appears that their Brazilian defender Thiago Silva has recovered from a knock and will be able to play, while Ibrahomovic and Lavezzi will be a real threat for them in attack.   .....Read more here.......

Cesc Fabregas became the first Spaniard to score a hat-trick for Barcelona in over a decade as they cruised to a 5-0 victory over relegation threatened Mallorca. It was the first of the former Arsenal players career, but I’m sure that he didn’t mind it being overshadowed on the night by the return of Eric Abidal.

Most people thought 33-year old Abidal would never play football again. He has been out of the game for over a year after serious liver problems. An initial operation didn’t work, but his cousin donated part of his own liver to the player, and the operation was a success. He then made a quicker and fuller recovery than doctors expected and was passed fit to resume training earlier this year.   .....Read more here.......

The brain of Barcelona is back, and hopefully reinvigorated after his break. Barca will need Xavi Hernandez to be back to his best at the Nou Camp tonight if they are to get to the next round of the Champions League. The midfield maestro has been passed fit by medical experts after recovering from his hamstring problem. Many believe that Barca’s recent problems can be traced back to Xavi’s absence and the fact that he was not at 100 percent before.   .....Read more here.......

Barcelona have been called the best in the world, and some have said that the current team are the best in history. For nearly two years now Barca have also been at the top of the world rankings for football clubs, even when they lost the Primera Liga title of Spain to Real Madrid last season. That run has now come to an end.

Three defeats in the last four games, two to Madrid and one to AC Milan, has seen the team slip to fifth in the rankings compiled by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics. Chelsea’s cup double of last season has helped them jump to the top of the list, with Bayern Munich, Athletico Madrid and Corinthians also ahead of Barcelona.   .....Read more here.......

Barcelona are already 16 points ahead of their great rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Primera Liga. Even with 12 games left after tomorrow’s Clasico, there is very little chance of Barcelona losing the Spanish title this season. Jordi Roura and his players will be desperate for a good result at the Bernabeu, though, to banish the painful memories of the recent defeats by Madrid and AC Milan.   .....Read more here.......

Barcelona were left in a perilous position in the Champions league last night. After losing 2-0 to AC Milan, the lack of an away goal means that Barcelona will need to score four goals in the Nou Camp if Milan manage to score just once. The stand-in coach Jordi Roura and the former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas are confident that Barca are up to the task, though, despite the size of the task.   .....Read more here.......