Barcelona vs Real Zaragoza preview.

Having licked the wounds of what should be a forgettable week by Barça standards, it's time to look to the future. Contrary to what much of the media are saying right now, I don't think Real Zaragoza could have been given a worse time to play Barça.

Pep Guardiola doesn't take failure lightly, and although he's saying all the right things in the press, getting behind the players and not dwelling on what is ultimately a blip, you can guarantee that he wont be letting the players forget about last week, or get complacent.

Good and bad news on the injury front has emerged : Alves is out for 3 weeks, though as of late his performances haven't been up to scratch, so this might not be a bad thing. Some places are circulating that Henry is nearly back to full fitness, and could make an appearance from the bench. Word on the official Barça site is only that he done some training with a physio this week though, so I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't feature at all. His presence would certainly be a bonus though, I don't think it's coincidental that our dip in form has coincided with his injury.  Millito is once again taking part in training outside of the main group, and continues on his recovery. Great news, when he does return I fully expect him to get a huge welcome from the Camp Nou crowd.

In light of Alves injury, I would like the lineup to be :

--------------Valdes----------------

Puyol--Abidal--Pique--Maxwell

-------------Toure-------------------

------Xavi-----------Iniesta---------

Messi-----Zlatan-----Bojan-------

Perhaps a few decisions there would baffle people, but I'll explain. Abidal is comfortable playing at centre back (he does so for his country) and honestly, I think he'd be a better option than a half-fit and out of form Marquez (as shown by his performance against Kazin, which frankly, the sooner we forget about, the better). Maxwell obviously slips into the left-back position fine, and Puyol showed in the Champions League final that he's still more than capable of playing as a right back. Once again, I'd rather see Bojan given the start than Pedro. If Bojan's given the same time to settle into the game (ie: started) that Pedro has been given, I fully expect his performance to surpass that of Pedrito.

However, I doubt Pep will line up this way, instead I think he'll opt for Marquez at the centre along side Pique, with Abidal retaining his left-back spot, and Puyol playing at the right. He'll go for the same midfield three as me, and then Pedro instead of Bojan, probably.

In any case, one thing I'm sure of is that he'll play as strong a side as possible. I expect a lot of players to be rested during the mid-week Copa Del Rey match. In light of this, I don't expect fringe players like Keita, Busquets , Jeffren, Pinto and the like to start tomorrows game, as they'll get a run out in Wednesday instead. 

My prediction? As I said at the start of my post, I think Zaragoza have been given an unfortunate time to play us. Expect the wrath of Barça to be on full display. I'll go for 3-0, and for us to keep a much needed clean sheet, which hasn't been happening enough lately. I think Pep and the players will want to make a statement tomorrow, and Zaragoza will be the scalp.