Barcelona Vs. Liverpool and the return of the Champion’s League
February 21st, 2007 by Eoin
The Champion’s League is back with us again. Last night’s action gave us plenty of incident and it’s clear the Lille Vs. Manchester United game will give the media plenty to talk about for the next two weeks.
The one goal lead Man United take back to Old Trafford with them should be enough after seeing Lille struggle in the final third of the pitch last night. Lille deserved more out of the game, but United were clearly the better team. I’d expect Man United to win the second leg too and be in the draw for the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals on the 9th of March.
Real Madrid’s 3-2 home victory over Bayern Munich won’t be enough to see them through. The 2 away goals and home advantage give Bayern a great chance of going through but neither team are as good as they should be at the moment.
For Arsenal, loosing away to PSV was a bad blow but they are more than good enough to turn the tie around. You never know what you’re going to get from Arsenal, but on their day they are one of the best footballing sides in the World. 1-0 is not a major disaster and the return leg is poised to be the most entertaining game of the round. This one could well need extra-time.
Celtic have to pleased with the 0-0 home draw they secured last night. When you’re playing AC Milan you’d take a draw in the first leg. Any goal Celtic can score in the second leg will be an away goal so a score draw will do them. It’s still hard to see them knocking Milan out though.
Tonight’s fixtures promise plenty more talking points with Jose Mourinho taking his Chelsea side back to Porto, in a tie that shouldn’t pose Chelsea many problems; Inter Milan hosting Valencia, in an evenly matched tie that I feel the Spaniards will edge; Lyon going to Roma to show Europe that they are a force to be reckoned with this season; and in the tie of the round Barcelona host Liverpool.
The visit of Liverpool to Barcelona has already filled many column inches. Both clubs have had problems with their players; Samuel Eto’o refusing to come on as a substitute in a recent game, and a few of the Liverpool players enjoying a lively boys night out during a training camp visit to Portugal last week.
To add to the similarities both teams come into this game on the back of league defeats, and lets not forget that it’s the 2006 winners against the 2005 Champions!
Since the draw was first announced people have been very quick to write off Liverpool’s chances. The statistics however, suggest otherwise…
In three visits to the Nou Camp Liverpool are yet to concede a goal. They won 1-0 in 1976 on their way to winning the UEFA Cup, drew 0-0 in the UEFA Cup during their trebble winning campaign of 2001, and again in the Champion’s League group stage of 2002. Rafael Benitez also has an excellent track record there winning twice and drawing once in his time as Valencia manager. With defensive linchpin, Jamie Carragher, going for a hat-trick of shut outs tonight it’s hard to see any result other than 0-0. That would set up another memorable European night in Anfield on the 6th of March.
The official Barcelona squad is Valdés, Jorquera, Belletti, Oleguer, Puyol, Thuram, Márquez, Gio, Zambrotta, Motta, Xavi, Deco, Iniesta, Gudjohnsen, Saviola, Ronaldinho, Messi, Giuly.
Liverpool have traveled over with Reina, Dudek, Finnan, Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Hyypia, Riise, Pennant, Gerrard, Alonso, Sissoko, Mascherano, Gonzalez, Zenden, Crouch, Kuyt, Bellamy and Fowler.
I expect that Barca will play their usual 4-3-3 and Liverpool with revert back to the 4-5-1 that helped win so many vital games in Europe in 2005.
Marquez Puyol Edmilson Oleguer
Xavi Deco Zambrotta
Guily Gudjohnson Ronaldinho
Arbeloa Carragher Agger Riise
Finnan Sissoko Alonso Gonzalez
Gerrard
Crouch
Entries (RSS)
February 21st, 2007 at 9:54 pm
Told ye it would be 0-0
Get in there!!! Who better to score and all?
February 22nd, 2007 at 2:03 am
we won! we won! we won! come on ya reds!
February 22nd, 2007 at 3:39 pm
You got to love Bellamy’s goal celebration. To be honest I don’t believe Barca deserve the reverence everyone shows them. They’re spectacular when they’ve got space but once you put up them, they don’t really have an answer.
February 22nd, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Barcelona have more than they showed last night and this tie isn’t over yet. I’d be surprised if we blow it now, but they won’t go down without a fight. Liverpool have played better than that and lost this season and yet deserved to win the game. Barcelona can not defend and yet are the reigning European Champions and sitting top of La Liga.
February 22nd, 2007 at 6:28 pm
They get a lot more time on the ball in La Liga and don’t forget ‘Pool won the Champion’s League the season before with a team that boasted Igor Biscan and Djimi Traore amongst it’s stars. There’s no doubting Barca can play but there’s more to be being a great side than that. If you really get stuck into them, some of their big name tend to go missing. It’s a bit like Arsenal, on their day they’ll take any one but when things go against them, you just can’t see them digging it out.
February 22nd, 2007 at 10:36 pm
Igor Biscan and Djimi Traore were not the stars of that team and I think Liverpool have shown a level of consistency in Europe in 2005 and since to prove they are a good side. I’m not saying Barcelona are a great side, but two La Liga titles, a European Cup and on course for third league title mean they are one of the best in the World right now.
I understand the comparison you are making between Barcelona and Arsenal, and while I agree with you I would say Barcelona have more character than Arsenal. I expect to see it in the second leg.
February 23rd, 2007 at 12:54 pm
I was being facetious when I said Igor and Djimi were stars of the team, though Igor did put in some astonshing displays that year.
My point isn’t that Barcelona aren’t a good team, they are one of the best at the moment, I just don’t think they deserve the reverence that people show them. Since the draw was made people had been writing Liverpool off. Out of the FA cup, out of the league cup, out of the running for the title and Barca in the Champions League - that’s it, season over. Even going so far as to say that a 2-1 loss would have been a good result because at least they’d walk away with the away goal. You yourself said that anything better than a 0-0 draw was unlikely and I’m just calling, no offense mind, bullshit on the whole thing. They’re just not THAT good.
February 23rd, 2007 at 1:18 pm
yes liverpool, get in there boys, what a perfect response from bellamy! and a celebration to match!!i had 2-1 to barcelona but what a fool i am…i can see us winning the second leg comfortably as well, because we are an excpetional team on the break and barcelona will have to come at us, hopefully Rafa plays are fast attackin players like Pennant who was on the bench at the nou camp!!! Sissoko is truely awesome and if Alonso does go to Barcelona at end of season i see it as no loss!! up the POOL!!!!
February 24th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Sissoko and Alonso are two very different styles of players . Momo had a fantastic game and it’s great to have him back but it’s a bit wide of the mark to imagine him slotting into Alonso’s role in midfield. Losing a player of Xabi’s quality is always a blow but, yes, we’ll get over it. What annoys me though is that Alonso has always said that he wants to stay at Liverpool, yet every time rumours like this emerge, Pool fans buy into it with this ‘let him go’ attitude. Why not get behind the player for once? What are we Man Utd supporters or something?
February 24th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
barcelona are going to win in the second league did you understand
from ronaldinho !!!!
February 25th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
No, I didn’t understand.
March 5th, 2007 at 11:36 am
you know barcelona are the killers of champions league so they will mercue liverpool at anfiel and also the have one of the best in the world
ronaldinho!!!! barc will win!!!!!!!! watch and see!!!!!!! from ur eye!!!!
March 5th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
There’s the Barcelona arrogance that cost ye so dear in the first leg. You mean the Ronaldinho who missed a penalty?
April 3rd, 2007 at 4:05 pm
[...] As usual, I’m going to concentrate mostly on the Liverpool tie, but if anyone’s interested they can check out the Milan/Bayern game on Setanta Sports tonight and see my views on this tie on my previous post about the draw. I still agree with the predictions I made there, but ask me again around 10pm tomorrow night. [...]
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:18 pm
torres in chelsea…please torres