After a dip in form Fc Barcelona’s season looked to be falling apart before their own eyes; however the team managed to play themselves out of the bad spell and get back to winning ways. It started with the Copa Del Rey (Kings Cup) Semi Final against at Mallorca. Barca managed a 1-1 draw, and moved on to the final after a 3-1 aggregate score to face Athletic Bilbao. The Blaugrana finally managed to break the semi final curse that had seen them knocked out in the semi’s for two consecutive seasons.
Barca Back to La Liga
On the weekend Barca was back to the league, and welcomed Athletic Bilbao to the Nou Camp for a “dress rehearsal” of the Copa Del Rey final. Barca dominated the game, winning 2-0, but the score did not show the true nature of the game. Barca could have easily had five or six goals, and put on a show of how to play beautiful, free flowing football. This victory, paired with a draw between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, extended Barca’s lead at the top of La Liga to six points. The only negative from this game was that Captain Carlos Puyol injured his ankle, and will be out for three weeks.
Lyon Comes to Town
In the midweek Barca welcome French champions, Lyon, to the Nou Camp for a round of sixteen Champions League match that had Barca fans a little nervous. The first leg ended 1-1 in France and all Barca need was a 0-0 tie to advance on away goals. Barca came out on fire and scored five goals to the delight of a loud, encouraging Nou Camp crowd. The game ended 5-2 and Lyon was disposed of with style. The win showed the world that the true Barca was back. Barca return to the league on Sunday, traveling to Almeria for a tricky match. Almeria is tenth in La Liga, and has been playing well since Hugo Sanchez was made coach. Barca will be without Puyol, Abidal, and Gabi Milito due to injuries, but hope to continue their current run of form.
Other News
Another striker has been linked with the Blaugrana, Inter front man Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s agent claims that the Swede is wanted by Barca and Real Madrid. Barca has been linked with a number of strikers, because of the rumors of Eto’o leaving.
David Villa’s agent has stated that Villa does not want to leave Spain. This is encouraging for Barca as they look to sign the world class striker.
The Champions League Quarter Final Draw is on March 20, as Barca look to see who is their next opponent on the quest for a spot in the final in Rome. The teams Barca could be matched with are: Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Porto, Villareal, and Bayern Munich.
Benj Lance - Just a young man trying to keep everyone informed about the world of football (soccer to the americans). Wrote for a couple websites ...
