Match discussion: Deportivo

This evening at 8 pm bt,
Barcelona plays the nineteenth game of the season against Deportivo.

Deportivo is ranked 7th and last in the Liga with 30 points, which is the same amountas Atlético Madrid and Villarreal. Last weekend, the team lost 1-3 against Sevilla, playing with Aranzubia; Pablo, Lopo, Zé Castro, Filipe (85 Riki); Sergio, Rodríguez; Verdú (67 Bravo), Lafita, Guardado (81 Valerón); Bodipo

Osasuna players Verdú and Cristian played for the Barcelona youth teams.


Deportivo squad list:
Aranzubia, Fabricio, Manuel Pablo, Zé Castro, Lopo, Filipe, Colotto, Piscu, Sergio, Juan Rodríguez, Antonio Tomás, De Guzmán, Cristian, Lafita, Guardado, Verdú, Valerón, Bodipo, Riki

Barcelona squad list:
Valdés, Pinto, Jorquera, Alves, Puyol, Márquez, Piqué, Cáceres, Abidal, Sylvinho, Xavi, Touré, Keita, Gudjohnsen, Messi, Eto'o, Bojan, Henry, Hleb, Iniesta


!!! LIVE MATCH CHAT !!!

From two hours before until two hours after the game you can join a match chat (read more here)


Before (what are your expectations, what's your prediction, what should be the line-up,...), during and after the match, you can also comment on the game here.

Guardiola and Aguero in Nike spot

Suspended Busquets not in Deportivo list

Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola has earlier today announced that 20 players are called-up for the nineteenth league game of the season against Deportivo La Coruña this evening at 8 pm.

The list:
Valdés, Pinto, Jorquera,
Alves, Márquez, Puyol, Piqué, Cáceres, Abidal, Sylvinho,
Xavi, Touré, Keita, Gudjohsen,
Messi, Eto'o, Bojan, Henry, Iniesta, Hleb


Busquets is suspended because of five yellow cards, Pedro will again play with Barcelona Atlètic and Milito and Víctor Sánchez are not available because of injuries. Two players will still have to drop from the list, that will be announced around 7 pm.

Barcelona had a last training session this morning. After they had a lunch together, the players have now the afternoon off and are expected back at the Camp Nou at 6:30 pm, one and a half hour before the start of the game.

Another contract renewal coming up for Messi

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona will offer Barcelona right wing attacker and Argentinian international Lionel Messi (21) another contract renewal in the summer.

The club wants to reward the player for his performances this season and give him the chance to focus totally on his game without having to worry about non-sporting issues.

Barcelona isn't worried about a possible exit because both Messi and his entourage are acting in a correct way and the player is totally involved with the club's project.

Besides a salary rise, Barcelona also plans to raise the buyout fee of the Argentinian forward from 150 to 200 milion euro°. The duration of Messi's contract, which currently links the player until the summer of 2014 to Barcelona, would not be changed.

Messi's contract was a last time renewed at the end of last season (read more here). Since then, the player earns a year salary of 8 million euro, plus another possible 4,5 million euro in incentives, depending on trophies won, classification for the Champions League and games played.

Read more:
Messi and Eto'o on Manchester City wish list
Better contract for Messi
Messi dedicated second Sevilla goal to sister

Henrique to return and Caceres to leave on loan

Madrid sports tabloid Marca claims that Barcelona is thinking about loaning out Barcelona defender and Uruguay international Martín Cáceres (21) next season.

Because Cáceres has difficulties adapting to the club, Barcelona started considering a loan exit a few weeks ago and the recent performances of the defender have strengthened the idea. Only a radical change could make Cáceres stay next season.

Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain would on the other hand plan to bring back Bayer Leverkusen central defender and Barcelona loan out Henrique (22), whom Barcelona bought last summer and who is performing well in Germany (read more here).

Read more:
Decision on Henrique's future next month
Caceres doesn't want to leave on loan in January
Henrique is making progress in Leverkusen

Real Madrid president shows his real face

Calderón faced the people...

...but he couldn't hide his real profile

(click the cartoon to enlarge)

see more cartoons here

cayecaturas.com
sport.es

Live Match Chat: FC Barcelona - RC Deportivo La Coruña

(original post by OmarX)

FC Barcelona - RC Deportivo La Coruña
(Saturday 17 January 2009 @ 20:00 barcelona time)

Chat Link:
http://fcbarcelona.hopto.org/

Chat starts around 18:00 - 6 pm


Have you ever sat infront of your TV or computer while you were watching a FC Barcelona game and hoped you could share your excitement, feelings, and opinions with other fans LIVE as it happens?

We are proud to present you the new FC Barcelona Match Chat. Now you will be able to communicate before, during and after the match. The chat will be available from two hours before until two hours after the match. In the future this could turn into a 24/7 chat.

The chat is designed to be very user friendly and just requires you to enter your desired nickname and join (no registration required!). It is open to everyone, therefore make sure to invite your friends and spread the message. If you encounter any troubles or difficulties please put them here in the comments section or contact omarx in the chatroom.


To make all this work, we're setting up a moderator's system. Until that's in place, please keep in mind the following basic rules:

- on the public chat the main language is English

- you can hold private conversations by using the appropriate button you find below at the right of your screen
(mark the person you want to have a private talk with and click the button)

See you there!

Jorquera won't leave in January

Asked about the rumours linking him with an exit (read more here), Barcelona goalkeeper Albert Jorquera (29) has said at a press conference that he will certainly stay until the end of the season:

"I will continue at Barça until the end of the season or until my contract expires. Goalkeeping coach Unzué and the manager have insisted that it's important that I continue with the team and in the end I have decided to stay.

Several clubs were interested in me over the last weeks and I already had informed the club about my plan to accept one of these offers. It was a way of getting some confidence by having more minutes and playing games in the first division.

I wanted to go on loan until the end of the season and then return in the summer for the last year of my contract. But the coaches assured me that they already know me well and that there's no need for them to see me play a number of games to have confidence in me.

At this moment I'm only thinking about Barça because there are important months and games ahead. I will now focus on competing to be the second goalkeeper. At the start of the season I was coming back from an injury. I'm now training at my best for two or three months and it's time to fight for that spot. The best will play.

At the end of the season, we'll again look at the situation. I don't think I missed the last train to be a first division goalkeeper. For a goalkeeper, I'm still young. The latest offers were good for me and for the club but I will surely have other chances in the future."

Read more:
Barcelona holds on to Jorquera
Jorquera is looking for a club in Spain
Sporting will try again for Jorquera

Number of the day: 7

7

the number of goals scored out of set pieces against Barcelona this season

more quotes and numbers

The Video: Atletico

Manchester United forward Tevez offered

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Manchester United forward and Argentinian international Carlos Tévez (24) has been offered to Barcelona.

Manchester United have the option to buy Tévez from investment fund Media Sports Investments (MSI) for 33 million euro° this month, but it seems unlikely that the English club is ready to pay the fee.

The entourage of the player is therefore sounding out the market and has indirectly offered te player to several European top clubs, among which Barcelona.

Barcelona would be Tévez' first choice because of the good situation of the club and the chance to play alongside his compatriot Lionel Messi.

The paper also claims that Bayern Munich attacker and French international Franck Ribéry (25) wants to join Barcelona. Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola likes the player whose contract expires in 2011 a lot and the fact that he has a contract with American sportswear supplier Nike, an official sponsor of Barcelona, could make a transfer easier.

Read more:
Barcelona interested in Man United striker Tevez
Ribery was on top of Guardiola's wish list
Nani was on top of the transfer list

Real Madrid president Calderon resigns

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderón has resigned from his post today as a consequence of the voting scandal during last month's general assembly. Calderón was president since the summer of 2006 when he won the elections amidst allegations of fraud.

Real Madrid vice-president Vicente Boluda will take over until the elections that will be held in the summer.

Barça B - Medical: Gai out for at least one month

Barcelona's medical staff has yesterday announced that Barcelona Atlètic winger Gai Assulin (17) has damaged the external menicus of his right knee during Wednesday's training session.

He will undergo a conservative treatment during the next four to six weeks. His recovery will depend on how his knee responds to the treatment.

Read more:
Gai not looking for an exit
Medical: Victor Sanchez out for at least one week
Barça B - Medical: Jeffren out for two months

The Pictures: Atletico

(click a picture to enlarge)

(click a picture to enlarge)




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Poll result - Man of the match: Atletico

This is the final result of this blog's Barcelona-Atletico: who was our man of the match? poll:


1. Iniesta 28%
2. Toure 17%
3. Alves 8%




see full results here
see other poll results here

Toure wants to stay for many more years

Asked about the recent exit rumours (read more here), Barcelona defensive midfielder and Ivory Coast international Yaya Touré (25) has said at a press conference that he wants to stay with Barcelona:

"I'm very happy to play here. At this moment everything is going very well and I want to continue here. For me the important thing is to be happy and now I am happy playing for Barça. I feel comfortable in Barcelona and my goal is to keep playing here for many more years.

There has been talking about more money, but right now I'm concentrating on my daily work and I'm not thinking about a possible contract renewal. That will depend on the president and also on the socios. I'm happy now."

Read more:
Toure leaves all future options open
Bid from Manchester City for Toure
Toure wants a pay rise