Take it easy man. We are playing in cold Ukraine. Our players can froze there. I think a draw would be a good resoult. Anyway, I hope that Rijkaard will gave some young players a chance to prove (Messi, Navarro...) Giuly and Damia are out for this game. Damia isnt registered for CL while Giuly is still injured. This game means nothing to us, we are already in 1/8 final. I just hope that we dont get a new shock with some injuries.
we should rest as much players as possible. how many B team members are registered for the champions league.
as far as I know not many, it looks we will have to play with out first team here is a list of players: http://www.fcbarcelona.com/eng/noticias/noticias/n04120512.shtml
I agree. Take the least amount of first teamers possible, let everyone get a break and just see what happens.
to come second in the group might not be so bad after all a few ____ 'BIG'____ teams may be knocked out soon real, arsenal so we might get a good draw in the second round. we fear no one however. i hope diho, and eto have a warm seat on the bench.
i think its worth mentioning the trouble in Ukraine right now. while most of the drama is in kiev, donetsk is the second biggest city in ukrain is a power center for the current president. i hope there isn't a protest or anything like that.
Rijkaard reviews Champions League situation Frank Rijkaard has told fcbarcelona.com about his views of the forthcoming game against Shakthar, reviewed the first stage of the competition and explained that he is more than happy with the way things have gone so far. What conclusions can you make from the first stage? "I have a very positive view of the stage we have just come through. Perhaps the greatest achievement was winning at Celtic and Milan's stadiums, but in general I'm pretty pleased." How do you think the political and social situation in the Ukraine will affect the mentality of the players? "The situation can only affect us if it is not calm, if UEFA cannot guarantee the right conditions to play. But the news coming through from the Ukraine and what we have been told by UEFA suggest that all is fine and we do not need to feel uneasy about going there." Are you concerned about the way Shakthar are playing, top of the league and with Aghaghowa back in? "I always have every respect for all the teams we play and in this case, Shakthar is playing in the Champions League, which means they are decent side. I think the most important thing is for us to concentrate on what we have to do. We have to make sure our team works well because we're up against a good side that can make life complicated for us." The weather and the state of the pitch may not be all that good. Can this disturb the team? "Playing in different conditions to those we are used to is an experience that players will never forget. I think you just have to enjoy yourself out on the pitch and not worry about the temperature." What chance do you think you have of finishing top of the group? "Right now it's not entirely in our hands. What concerns me is the fact that we have an important game in the Ukraine, and they are hosting one of the most important teams in Europe, in front of their own fans so I'm sure the Shakthar players are going to be highly motivated." With the team playing as well as it is, do you not feel that it is such an issue to finish second in the group? "There are always advantages to finishing top, but I'm not too worried about which team we play next. All Champions League games are highly intense affairs and there are no big differences between the best teams in Europe. Even if we were first, it would still be difficult to play one of the runners up." Who do you want to avoid in the next round? "I could speak about the performances and qualities of the teams there are in Europe, but whatever team we play will be decided by a random draw, and I think that our chances depend on us concentrating only on ourselves."
i know uefa is very reliable, but this formation doesnt look right: valdes belletti...puyol...fernando...sylvinho (this looks about right) .................xavi ...........verdu.........gio idk who verdu is, but i say switch xavi and gio peral............messi........iniesta idk who peral is, but i would have guessed messi on the left and iniesta the right. subs: ruben marquez eto'o deco ronnie oleguer rodri
just looked up the sides for cel - mil, barca may have a chance to take 1st celtic has their strongest possible squad i believe, while milan are without kaka, seedorf, pirlo, gattuso, stam, and cafu. im guessing milan play for the 0-0. i hope celtic can put themselves ahead, as we all know celtic has a very good home record.
Aghahowa again 2-0 22' Aghahowa (Shakhtar) scores! The Nigerian doubles the lead after Matuzalem frees Brandão down the left. The striker's cross is touched on by Lewandowski for Aghahowa to poke home from one metre out. Shakhtar deserve the lead but it could have been more if Brandão had been more effective.
disappointing, but it definitely isnt something to worry about or such a big deal. save for chelsea and i guess juve, none of the top teams i think can challenge barca.
Half time. Messi looks very lively with intelligent moves and passes. Defence is not doing well at all. Puyol has had to foul the other team more than once because no one defended. I can see Riikjard making at least one change.
i have money on barca this game! why couldn't rijkaard have just said they were going to play the b team!!!
Barca has made all 3 subs: Oleguer X Puyol Rodri X Peral Marquez X Belletti (Juliano had to come off due to injury. not again!!! )
FT 2-0 for Shaktar. At least we got to throw some of the youngsters into the fire, so to speak. God I hope Belletti is ok.
Imagine that I got 7 out of 8 Champions League matches tonight, but the only match I didn't get was Barca's!!! Anyways, there's this one channel which is jumping all around from game to game (all games) showing chances and goals as they come. Other than the missed penalty by Iniesta, I don't think there was anything to talk about. This was experimental to the nth degree. Peral is Javito, the winger who played against World XI. So Javito, Messi, Verdu, Rodri, Navarro, Sylvinho...You're not gonna win in Ukraine with this lineup. Remember, Milan barely won 1-0 with their full lineup. I'm super glad though that the big boys got to rest. With the Milan tie at Parkhead it wouldn't have matter whether we won or not. The youngsters got some Champions League experience and holders got a rest. Conclusion: Barca wins anyways
it was probably pretty smart to go ahead and rest the team and get a look at some potential backups in a low risk situation,. Though, i really wish he had just made his plans public, now i have to put twice as much down on Real tomorrow to break even. If anyone sees any other guaranteed wins tomorrow let me know.