Preview: Barça - Real Madrid

In Pep we trust. That is all I have to say. He can start whoever he wants, unless we get some god awful luck, I am very confident we are going to win this one. I have a feeling Pedro is going to start with Henry and Ibra up front and then Messi will come on in the 2nd half. Pedro is on a high right now and when players are on a high like that you want them on the pitch. His confidence must be through the roof after the Inter game and that is when a player is most dangerous. Messi is coming off an injury and he is not at his best, putting him on in the 2nd half when Madrid are already tired of chasing Pedro around and he will destroy them.

Either way I cannot wait.

Nic,I think you are correct in your assessment that this game is going to be close and a 2-1 scoreline (in favour of Barca of course... ) is not unlikely. Real, with Benz,CR7 and Kaka leading their forward line will make life difficult for our defence, unlike the almost non-existent Inter attack, but hopefully our forwards will put in more goals at the other end.

Messi and Ibra are both coming back from injuries so it'll be interesting to see them complete our first choice attacking trident with Henry.Even if Messi isn't fit enough to start, Pedro should be more than a handful on the right wing on current form. Either way its an excellent tactic by Pep to keep everyone guessing about his starting XI.

While mostly everyone's talking about the two teams' forwards, the game will in my opinion be decided in the middle of the pitch where Xavi,Iniesta and Toure/Biscuits will have to reaffirm their superiority over Alonso,Lass and probably Granero. If our midfield maestros can do that, then Barca should win it.

Hey Nic,
You're in Barcelona correct?
I am in Barcelona, and the thing is i can't seem to find tickets for the Classico, do you have any connections or people that bought the ticket but want to profit from it?

Please let me know,
your Help will be eternally appreciated*
Thank you and God bless,

BiG M

kkkkkkkkkkk....first i wanna greet all of you gays...and i will hope we will have good game tomorrow....

pep must include messi starting line-up....i don't
care if he got injury tommorow....but he must be there and beat realmadrid..because he is the only one can beat realmadrid at the moment..and u know if no messi they will try to attack...i know tomorow the difference would be iniesta and xavi...but xavi and iniesta with messi is more dangerous than xavi and iniesta.....

if we beat realmadrid with humaliation we will be there almost because they will get disappoint..

my prediction:::::: barca 4-1 realmadrid

C.Ronaldo is very strong and barcelona must planing with pedro . KaKa is very important in the game with barcelona and Lasss diarra is a big in the real madrid.
Barcelona 0-4 Real Madrid
golas..are
c.ronaldo
kaka
benzema
el pipita gonzalez higuain

In my opinion I think that it is more likely that Real Madrid will win. They are a 100% better team than last year ! They have gotten C.Ronaldo who is great up front, along with Benzema, and Kaka. They also got Xavi Alonso which is like Barcelona's Xavi Hernandez, they both most start their plays from the midfield. Real Madrid also managed to get Albiol and Arbeloa which are two great defenders for the left. And also they have already had Sergio Ramos and Pepe which are great defenders on the right and in the center. Barcelona also have good players like Messi,Ibrahimovic, Xavi, Iniesta, and Pedro. But I think that the new Real Madrid have what it takes to beat Barcelona. My prediction would be 3-1 in Real Madrid's favor.

Real Madrid will win 5-0

Wow - look, all the Real Madrid fans arrive but they're actually really polite and nice about things... is this really a football blog? So nice for people to be civil. Let's hope football decides the game tomorrow, with no controversial decisions or nastiness on the pitch.

@Nic - I think your prediction (as always) is spot on (have you ever tallied up your predictions against results and calculated your variance for a season?) It won't be the easy ride of last year, and regardless of whether their play isn't cohesive, they have the talent to score at least one through a flourish of brilliance (and I think Kaka on the edge of the box is the greatest threat). I actually entered the win-the-game-ball-(signed) competition on the FCB website and also went for 2-1 to Barca (with Real going ahead in the first half, and the first Barca goal in a nail-biting comeback coming from Ibra in the seventh minute of the second half). But competition be damned, as long as we win!

@Hilal - concur entirely, I think Pedro is the better starter with Messi to come on in the second half and make an impact.

Hello everyone,

I am way too excited for this clasico tomorrow! Not because the best players in the world are going to take the pitch tomorrow but due to the fact that this is the first showdown between two historically significant squads at the same time.

Last season, Barcelona ruled the world with the graduate of the dream team as their new coach. Watching them play, it was evident the dream team is making a second coming.

This season, Madrid have reclaimed their galacticos title purchasing two of the best and most expensive players in modern football.

Maybe I am too high and given this too much thought but woah! Its a clash of two second generation teams! Its the dream team II vs the galacticos II!! How can one not be impatiently excited?!

Cannot wait for this one

Barca 3-1
the boys have confidence after Milan and will go all out. The midfield will be key.

a win will be the best way to celebrate the clubs' anniversary.

happy bday barca

Seriously, I tot I was in d wrong site with all these madid fans posting funny sturvs.....nyway, I'm feeling pretty optimistic n will go for a 3-0 victory so far the starting line up won't be funny(what are d odds chygrynski gets a start )

@ Big M - Sorry can't help with the tickets, I wish you the best of luck in finding one.

@lokiFCB - not sure on my prediction record. The first year of the blog I kept a tally and didn't do too well but I think I've done pretty well so far this season. Just hope I get it right today!

FCB-FCF:5-1 !!

I hope Ibra starts and makes mince meat of Reals defence with his power, I honestly think if we can get some decent balls into the box to Ibra Reals defence will not be able to cope with him and I think there will deffinitely be a penalty given.

oo, what a game !!

This will be one of the biggest attack v attack games of all time lol.

Messi, Zlatan, Henry, Iniesta Xavi

vs

Kaka, Ronaldo, Benzema, Raul, Alonso

On paper, individually at least, Barca are ever so slightly ahead, HOWEVER, it ALL depends on who turns up for the game.

Kaka, Ronaldo, Raul are all big game players. Messi, Henry, Xavi and Iniesta are aswell so I think Barca should on paper win the game by a goal.

This game really does just depend on who has control of the game and on which individuals are able to express themselves the most on the pitch.

Tactically the managers can influnence a game more then ever tonight with 2 so evenly matched teams. When to attack ? When to defend ? When to retain the ball ? Which players to exploit ?

All these things will be facsinating to watch and I look forward to a sensational game of football... which Barca will win !

My prediction: Barca 3 - 1 RMadrid

Scorers: Zlatan 14", Ronaldo 51", Henry 74", Messi 81"

and lol @ FBHolland

I want that too !!

@ LokiFCB

What happens when (not if) a Barca player scores a hattrick tonight and then they want to keep the matchball themselves?? You may have to fight whoever it is for the ball,you may just hope its not YAYA that scores it

Too all those obnoxious Madridista scumbags : go to Hell !!

Barca 4-Madrid 0

Ibrahimovic
Keita
Henry
Puyol

@Titi186 ,

Very interesting take on the game .
I don't know about you BUT I'll take Messi over Ronaldo , Xavi over Alonso , Iniesta over Kaka ,Ibrahimovic over Benzema/Higuain , Alves over Ramos and Toure over Diarra any day of the week !!

@Lon-A-Barca - hell, someone scores a hat-trick they can have the ball and my flat!

(But if it came to it, I could take Yaya.)

(Okay, maybe not.)

(My flat is rented also.)

@Nic - well, regardless of predictions, it's the commentary we appreciate most and also to have a place to find reasonable discussions about football! I wouldn't follow a blog unless it was like this one (just as I wouldn't actually bother following football if Barca weren't the team they are).

BTW, currently spazzing out a bit as I've just moved flat and don't have sky and broadband in - and I'm not sure whether my mobile broadband will cover the game (plus it's only on the "red button" which I'm not sure you can access from a PC) - was going to hit the local pub and then realised that effing Chelsea are playing (I live in Chelsea!)

I don't know guys but I get a feeling this is going to be a blow out by Barca. Just too many negatives against Madrid in my opinion. If Madrid score it's most likely going to come from some individual brilliance from outside the box.

4-1 Barca!

OMG
I want to see Ibra on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yea, we need ibra on. everytime we cross the ball into the box, there is nobody in the middle. ibra has to come on.

Very boring game so far. Has to be said Madrid are marking Barca players pretty well and have had the better chances. Henry is aweful. He needs to come out.

Q. who knew that would happen with Biscuits??


A. Me

tot el camp,
es un clam......


Man, I will take it...nice grind but I will take it. Ibra was clinical on that finish....I will have a great week!!!

f**king Hell.

I've been swinging my shirt over my head like I was in the camp Nou.

I Lovvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

ittttttttttttttt....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and I'm not talkin about McDonalds.

Hahahahahaahhahaahahahh

FUCK YOU RONALDO

What did say? (comment 24)

4 minutes later. 1-0 from Ibra..

I was also crying for Pep to put Toure on the moment that Biscuits got a yellow. I must have not been shouting loud enough!!

FORCAAAAA BARCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. A victory to remember. As our legend ( Johan Cruyff ) Said you can't buy skills and team play. And we weren't even in top fitness. I'm happy cause everyone been saying we where going to lose I really happy of that win Forca Barca. Forca Pep.

If we can play this formation for the second leg.

Valdes

Alves Puyol Pique Abidal


Toure



Xavi Iniesta


Messi Ibra Henry


Night Night REAL............
Unlucky.........
Pricks....!

@ Pabman Its like your reading my Mind Mate !!! I really mean it with Ibra and Yaya Everything. But also lets give it to Pep we did win !!!! Lets face it with the Flu and everything with Messi and Ibra not fully fit its an amazing result.

Well I didn't win that game ball (but was right about Ibra in seventh (okay sixth) minute) but was overall pleased that we ground it out.

I won't make too many comments as I watched the first half at such a distance that I was really just rooting for the purple ants over the white ants, but suffice to say, thank goodness Ibra came on and was clinical in that finish (from his other touches, great work rate, but you can tell he needs some gametime). Glad to see Messi with a spring in his step but he really should have scored - I think he's starting to feel the pressure to score too much.

Would have preferred Pedro on to Henry (even playing out of position). Sad to say but really feel Henry isn't cutting it anymore.
Wish Iniesta would play back into midfield - regardless of the three up front - this is what he effectively did against Inter and we dominated them.

@Pabman - yep, as soon as that first yellow came there was only one way that it was going. Assume Toure was still struggling through the swine flu but didn't he look mighty alright when he was on.

Finally - thoughts on the man of match guys? My vote - for his Samsonian tackles that saved the day three / four times in front of goal - Captain Courageous Carles Puyol.

VALDESS!!!!!! if he hadn't saved that ronaldo shot, the game would have been entirely different.

Abidal having a shot on goal!!! He played great tonight. Busquets is a cowboy, I don't know what he does be at. He is a loose cannon, one minute he is doing flicks and tricks (that are unnecessary in a game like this) and the next he is playing a really poor pass. He is a good player but he is a little too unpredictable in a game like this, Yaya would of went about his business and did all the simple things correctly and thats whats needed from a player playing in that position.

hi cawani bashi madrid dlea real madrid