PBP: La Liga Santander - Jornada 10 | Athletic Club Bilbao v FC Barcelona | 28 October 2017 [R]

One of the most important games of the season.

 

If there's a place where the first goal could prove crucial, it's at the San Mamés.

 

Everyone is well rested, grand once time with the only questions being (1) left back - Alba will start if medically cleared and fit, otherwise Digne; (2) right back - Roberto seems to be the favorite at the moment for his versatility, familiarity with the team, and attacking flair. Whereas Semedo has been impressive for his being an actual right back, with better defense and speed; and (3) 3rd forward/4th midfielder - candidates are many Deulofeu, Roberto again, Paulinho, Denis, Paco, Gomes, Vidal, and Turan.

I predict 1 Alba (once cleared), 2 Roberto (to the dismay of many Semedo/defense first fans), and 3 Deulofeu (Paulinho also very viable) but without Semedo at RB (see 2) I think that they like the speed and width of Deulofeu as a combo RW/very wide right attacking mid.

MAtS
---Pique----Umtiti
Roberto--Busi--Alba
Deulofeu-Raki-Ini
----Messi--Suarez

Two huge games coming up for coach, returning to Athletic where he played over half his time in top level football 170 of 320 matches, and just recently coached for 4 years (plus 2 prior years) and some great results. 2015 Spanish Super Copa, won nearly half of all matches, 102-45-66 W-D-L. Qualified for CL once in most recent stint, UEFA Cup in prior stint. Then back to Piraeus, where in two stints as manager he won 3 leagues and 2 cups and went 92-13-22.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernesto_Valverde These will be huge matches for him and the new team and he'll want two wins but San Mames will truly be a challenge, Piraeus not so much (I hope).

 

This is actually true in this case. The atmosphere will be quite intense in Bilbao if Barca don't shut them up early with a goal.

Too bad we didn't catch them after a Europa League Thursday.

 

Good point, but they did play 1 day later than us, yesterday at Formentera in the Balearic Islands, and only managed a draw. But of course they rested many starters, much like us. They are also without 3 talented players, I knew about Iker's injury but Yeray's is way more scary, hopefully caught in time: https://www.transfermarkt.com/athletic-bilbao/sperrenundverletzungen/verein/621

 

Squad news: Alba IN, Iniesta OUT thigh, Vermaelen OUT hip, Masch. DOUBT with FEVER missed training but going to Bilbao as 3rd CB unless he cannot go, in which case one of two Barca B players will fill that role behind Pique and Umtiti.
ESPN:
Barcelona will be without Andres Iniesta for this weekend's game against Athletic Bilbao, but Javier Mascherano will make the trip despite skipping training on Friday with a fever. Iniesta has not trained for the last few days due to a thigh strain and is also a major doubt for Tuesday's Champions League game against Olympiakos. Mascherano has also been unable to train but Valverde has included him in the 20-man squad for Saturday's game against Athletic in the hope that he recovers in time. In the case that he is not able to play, Barca B's David Costas or Oriol Busquets will step in, having both been included in the first team squad for the first ever time. Thomas Vermaelen will also miss the game at San Mames due to a hip problem which he picked up in the midweek Copa del Rey win against Real Murcia.

In addition to Iniesta and Vermaelen, Barca are also without Rafinha, Ousmane Dembele, Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal. However, left-back Jordi Alba has recovered from the thigh strain which kept him out of the last three games and will make the trip to the Basque Country.

So twenty travel, only 18 make squad, for now the twenty are the 2 B teamers plus these first teamers: MAtS, Jasper, Semedo, Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, Masch (fever doubt), Alba, Digne, Raki, Paulinho, Gomes, Denis, Busi, Deulofeu, Paco, Leo, Luis.

So prediction for now the only change is Iniesta cannot start, for me that opens a space for one of 2 players I did not project to start: Semedo - with Roberto then starting in midfield, or Paulinho in Iniesta's place. Of course Denis, or Gomes could also fill in directly for Iniesta, and I would not mind if Denis got the spot, but I don't think it will happen.

So this is what I had before:

MAtS
---Pique----Umtiti
Roberto--Busi--Alba
Deulofeu-Raki-Ini
----Messi--Suarez

and I think that becomes:

MAtS
---Pique----Umtiti
SEMEDO--Busi--Alba
Deulofeu-Raki-ROBERTO (up from RB)
----Messi--Suarez

I think Paulinho will get to play too, probably on for Raki in last 25 minutes.

 

I don't love "SB Nation" who are behind "barca blaugranes" as they mostly rely on unpaid writers to make lots of money in ad revenue with a product that varies quite a bit, but this seemed quotable and was sort of the situation I faced in predicting. But I like my analysis better and don't like them dismissing an Iniesta involved 0-2 win as boring in the least:

TEAM NEWS
The absence of Andrés Iniesta due to a minor muscle problem made it impossible to figure out which team Valverde will pick at San Mamés. With the captain in the squad it’s easy to know that the lineup would be a 4-4-2 designed to control the game, keep possession, make the game a little boring and try to win 2-0 without any danger or excitement.

Without Iniesta, we have a problem: there is no ideal replacement. Sergi Roberto, Denis Suarez, Paulinho and André Gomes all have equal chances of starting in midfield, so it’s really hard to know who will be picked. There is a chance, and that’s what I’ve gone with, that Roberto and Denis start on either side of Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets in a flat midfield four, with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez up front and Nélson Semedo at right-back.

There’s also the chance of this being a 4-3-3 with Gerard Deulofeu on the right wing, Messi at False Nine and Suárez on the left, with Gomes/Paulinho in midfield and Roberto at right-back. This is both the most probable and also the worst possibility, so here’s hoping that Valverde is reading this preview and goes with the lineup below.

 

looks like a flat 4-4-2

-------------Suarez----Messi-------------
Gomes---Busquets--Rakitic---Paulinho
Alba--------Umtiti------Pique----Roberto
------------------TerStegen-------------------

 

Damn, really wanted Semedo and/or Deulofeu instead of Gomes, but the rest of the team is solid given Iniesta's absence, I just don't see a real speedy wide right guy at all, not saying Roberto is slow, but he often tends to cut in earlier when he does make a long run forward.

 

or it could look like this:

 

shitmes starting ... yeah not watching this shit , i'll check on the result afterwards.

 

Shitmes starting in two of the most important away games if the season in some of the most difficult pitches!! EV you moron! Another two points dropped here!

 

As seems to be the pattern this season, we are asleep in the first half. Jesus wept, what a miss.

 

Puuh now get a few more please as long as Shitmes is on Barça needs 2-3 goals. [emoji23]

 

Messi, Messi, Messi

 

Paulinho... 40M€ and you get this? [emoji23][emoji16]

 

Funny, don't think we have played that well but could easily be 3 up.

 

Paulinho is one of the few deserving 40M$ players in the world. I wonder if Messi had a say in the transfer because they seem to be naturally on the same wavelenght.