PBP: UEFA Champions League | Matchday 2 | FC Barcelona v Bayer Leverkusen | 29 September 2015 [R]

Here's an article on our opponents.... check it out, courtesy of the Guardian (Honigstein): http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/sep/28/roger-schmidt-bayer-leverkusen-barcelona

 

This is a tricky fixture where we really would like to get 3 points playing at home after only getting 1 point in Roma. The high pressing and quick counter attacking of Bayer will challenge our D (and is where Celta slaughtered us), so it strikes me as not a time for alot of rotation. We need skilled on the ball defenders who can handle pressure, and need Sergi B as our outlet man at DM. Glad to hear Alba and Bravo may be close to all clear, hopefully we see the former here and the latter against Sevilla before the Fifa break.

MAtS
Alves (though I'd be happy with S'berto too) - Pique - Masch - Alba
Raki - Busi - Ini
Munir - Suarez - Neymar

If we can get a 2 goal lead I could see some rotations, getting our midfielders and maybe Alba rested.

 

Here's another one (same author) , written with respect to their encounter with Bayern - http://www.theguardian.com/football...bayer-leverkusen-borussia-dortmund-bundesliga

The Ter Stegen - Leno face-off is an interesting side-show to this fixture, three days before the squad for the Euro qualifiers is to be announced. Expect Jogi Löw to be in the audience. Very much looking forward to this game.

 

For those who like match stats: http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsle.../match=2015681/prematch/background/index.html

Puyol will find one of the stats especially interesting.

 

This one? • With VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach (2009–14), Marc-André ter Stegen took on Leverkusen six times too, and also won just once (W1, D3, L2).

Alba cleared, Bravo and Adriano not cleared yet, Gumbau in squad again.

 

Julian Brandt had a pretty nifty chipped free kick goal over the weekend. Will have to watch-out for that.

 

This is an interesting idea, the 4-4-2 (or you could call it a 2-3-3-2), as it addresses the lack of Messi (and Pedro and Rafinha) up front, however, it barely address the even bigger issue of our attacking midfield depth being even less than our forward depth, while our defensive depth is greatest of all right now. It does move Masch up to mid as a DM, but fails to rest Raki, Ini, or Busi (not that I want to rest any of them in a game like this with high pressing and high stakes). Anyways if we went with this lineup I'd like to see Ini and Busi switch places, and then Busi and Masch each play about 5 yards deeper than as depicted.

AS predicts a similar 4-4-2 but with different personnel:
Possible line-up (vs Leverkusen): TerStegen - Alves Bartra Pique Alba - S.Roberto Busquets Iniesta Rakitic - Suarez Neymar #fcblive [as]

I'm sticking with my original prediction which is what l'esp and MD both have:
Possible line-up (vs Leverkusen): TerStegen - Alves Pique Mascherano Alba - Rakitic Busquets Iniesta - Munir Suarez Neymar #fcblive [l'esp]

 

official:

----neymar-----suarez----sandro----
----------iniesta-------rakitic---------
mathieu-------sergio------------alves
--------masche-------pique-----------
---------------ter-stegen---------------

 

Barcelona line-up (official): TerStegen - Alves Pique Mascherano Mathieu - Rakitic Busquets Iniesta - Sandro Suarez Neymar

EDIT - Evil Allan beat me to it, here's the bench: Masip, Douglas, Bartra, Alba, Gumbau, Sergi Roberto, Munir

Pretty standard 4-3-3 with the surprises being Mathieu for the green lighted Alba, and perhaps Sandro for Munir. Let's do this.

 

I'm predicting a 2-2 draw!! It will be a 6 foot blizzard if MATS can keep a clean sheet today!!

 

When it comes to MATS we are likely to concede 4 or 1 , hope in this game it's the latter

 

I dunno, I think this would have been a good time to try it. I mean if there's no time to experiment in September, I don't know when else...

 

Good line-up, important match for us to get the wins rolling in CL.

3-1 to us I reckon. SN + Sandro with goals.

 

Who should take the penalty if Barca get one? I'm voting for Iniesta. (Has he ever missed?)

 

I want MAtS to take any PK!

2nd choice Rocketic

3rd choice Mascherano

 

i think suarez is next in line. he just let ney take the one against LasPalmas cuz he already had two.

 

Close Rakitic

 

I dont think Iniesta is comfortable taking pks!!

 

that was close for sandro