To Hell And Back

By: Al | October 3rd, 2008

Barcelona vs. Atlético Madrid

What a way to end the week with a visit to the Camp Nou. The four fixtures from hell apply to Atlético as well. Great.

To say this match will be difficult is an understatement. Everyone knows how Barcelona is able to defeat almost any team six-nil on an off day. But they aren’t perfect.

We will have to do without the return of Maniche who could’ve cause trouble for the Barca defense with his fast runs and shots from out of the blue. If Maxi does any better than he did on Wednesday then we’ll cause real havoc for Barcelona. The goal of the midfield for this match is simple: feed Agüero and Sinama-Pongolle good service. Luís García will probably be given the spot on the starting lineup in Maniche’s place and has big shoes to fill.

Barcelona:

Barcelona is currently 5th in La Liga, two points above us at 10. They splashed truckloads of money on new players over the summer and are just beginning to gel as a completely revamped squad. They are coached by Pep Guardiola, a coach who has the experience of coaching a B team for a year but seems to have breathed new life into the squad.

Last season they defeated us 3-1 at the Camp Nou, and we defeated them at our stadium 4-2. These matches are always unpredictable and anything can happen. But there WILL be goals on Saturday.

Who must we watch out for? Oh man… where to begin. Eto’o, Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Dani Alves, etc etc. The team has much spark and will be all over the place. Our defense must step up from their performance on Wednesday because facing Barcelona with a shaky defense will be dangerous. The defense must be able to keep up with Barcelona’s attack as they’ll be running down the field like track runners. And the fact that Dani Alves will show up in the attack out of bumblef*ck nowhere doesn’t really help either.

Messi vs. Agüero?

Of course not. Messi said it, and Kun said it. Guardiola says that Messi is better. Atlético fans say Kun is better. Barca fans say Messi is better. Who facking cares.

The bottom line: we don’t need to rely on Barcelona having an off day in order to produce a result. We have enough quality in our squad to be able to shock Barcelona. Can we defeat them at their home? Yes, but it probably won’t happen. The Camp Nou isn’t exactly a fortress and their team this year is possibly more talented than last year’s.

Prediction: 1-1. Early goal by Kun and possibly an 80-something minute goal by Xavi that saves the game for Barcelona. If they end up defeating us 3-1 or something, it won’t come as a surprise. But that won’t happen, right?

Rosters:

Barcelona: Unavailable because Guardiola is an unpredictable jerk/cunning genius

Atlético: Leo Franco, Coupet, Antonio Lopez, Pernia, Heitinga, Ujfalusi, Perea, Alvaro Dominguez, Raul Garcia, Luis Garcia, Maxi, Assunção, Banega, de las Cuevas, Keko, Joshua, Kun, Sinama

Probable Atleti XI:

Coupet – Perea, Heitinga, Ujfalusi, Pernia – Maxi, Assunção, Raul Garcia, Luis Garcia – Kun, Sinama

Enjoy, folks.