Match discussion: Numancia-Barcelona

This evening at 7 pm (bt), Barcelona starts the season with an away game against Numancia.

Numancia promoted back to the Liga after winning the Spanish second division last season. The last three gams Barcelona played at Numanicia's pitch ended with a draw.

Two Numancia players have a past at Barcelona: midfielder Juan Carlos Moreno (33) came through the youth ranks and played one year with the first team during the 1995-1996 season and midfielder Dimas (25) left Barcelona B this summer.

Squad list:
Valdés, Pinto, Cáceres, Alves, Abidal, Puyol, Piqué, Márquez, Xavi, Gudjohnsen, Keita, Touré Yaya, Iniesta, Messi, Hleb, Henry, Eto'o and Bojan.

Milito and Jorquera are injured. Sylvinho, Pedro and Víctor Sánchez have been left out.


Before, during and after the match, you can comment on the game here.

Barça B: Iago will sign with Juventus tomorrow

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona Atlètic attacker and Spanish youth international Iago Falqué (18) will sign a four-year deal with Italian club Juventus on Monday (read more here).

Iago, for whose transfer Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri has pushed hard, will always train with the first team, although he'll start playing with the reserves. The plan is to integrate the player step by step in the first team. After maximum one and a half season he should be a full member of the senior squad.

Barcelona has accepted to let Iago leave for free. If the attacking midfielder will play 30 matches with Juventus' first team, Barcelona will receive 1 million euro°. When Juventus sells the left-footed player, Barcelona will get 30 per cent of the transfer fee.

Asked about the rumoured transfer to Juventus, Iago's mother and Spanish senator Carmela Silva confirmed the news to Galicia regional newspaper El Faro de Vigo: "He's very happy. There were other clubs who were seriously interested in him, like Real Madrid or Valencia. But he really wanted to leave for a foreign club and the fact that Claudio Ranieri has confidence in him was decisive."

The paper claims that Ranieri sent a member of his technical staff to Ireland last week, where Iago played an international youth tournament with the Spanish U-19 national team. Iago was elected as best player of the tournament and Ranieri was delighted about the scouting report he received.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta would already have given his approval to the deal. Now everything has to be formally put on paper and signed. Iago, who played seven years for the Barcelona youth teams, is ready to travel today to Turin, where he will undergo the medical tests and sign his contract.

Read more:

Barça B: Iago close to Juventus

Barça B: Luis Enrique building a new team

Barça B: Iago is negotiating his exit

[Henrique] Bayer Leverkusen-Hoffenheim

Bayer Leverkusen played yesterday their third Bundesliga game of the season. Bayer won at home against leader Hoffenheim with 5-2.

Barcelona loan out Henrique started the match and played the whole game as right back defender.



Read more on the performances of Henrique in Leverkusen here










Sunday 10 August - Cup round 1: Rot-Weiß Oberhausen-Bayer Leverkusen 2-3
Starter. Henrique starts the game and plays for 120 minutes.

Saturday 16 August - Bundesliga game 1: Bayer Leverkusen-Borussia Dortmund 2-3
Starter. Henrique starts the game and plays for 90 minutes.

Saturday 23 August - Bundesliga game 2: Vfb Stuttgart-Bayer Leverkusen 0-2
Starter. Henrique starts the game and plays for 90 minutes.

Saturday 30 August - Bundesliga game 3: Bayer Leverkusen-Hoffenheim 5-2
Starter. Henrique starts the game and plays for 90 minutes. Right back.



Table
1. Schalke 04 7
2. Hamburg 7
3. Borussia Dortmund 7
4. Bayer Leverkusen 6
5. Hoffenheim 6
6. Wolfsburg 5
7. Hertha (2) 4
[...]

Case closed: Neves

Fluminense left winger and Brazilian international Thiago Neves (23) will not play for Barcelona as of next season, like had been rumoured over the last months (read more here).

German Bundesliga club Hamburg SV has yesterday officially announced the transfer of Neves.

In Brazil it is believed that Hamburg pays a transfer fee of 9,2 million euro° for Neves, who will sign a five-year deal.

Read everything on the Thiago Neves linked with Barcelona story

Read more:
Case closed: Ben Arfa
Case closed: Silva
Case closed: Mancini

Guardiola satisfied with the squad

Asked about the transfer period coming to an end, Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola has said at a press conference yesterday that he thinks a last transfer for the left wing isn't really necessary:

"I'm very happy with the team and with the transfers that have been made. I have confidence in this group. We can reach all our objectives because everyone is ready to work hard and give everything for that."

Guardiola doesn't feel more pressure because the club has invested seriously in the squad this summer: "I just know that Barcelona has spent money and that they also got a lot of money coming in. There are seasons where you spend more and others where you spend less but the coach does only have to worry about one thing: make sure the team plays well and wins. I will be here until those who make the decisions think differently."

Read more:
Vice president doesn't close transfer window yet
No more transfers
Transfer summer 2008: Overview