Barça/Gijon preview and other thoughts.

Same lengthy gap without an update, same broken record: sorry folks, it's really inexcusable.

Perhaps my lack of updates is post- Copa blues, who knows?

Last week Barça made another club record, going entirely undefeated for the first half of the season, the first time in the club's history. Pep Guardiola has provisionally agreed to sign a new contract, Messi is playing better than ever, Xavi and Iniesta are hitting incredible form, Alves is trying his best to play in every position possible, Abidal is fast becoming one of the best left backs in the world, and team morale is at an overall high. Even Joan Laporta's more and more frequent politically motivated media outbursts (wether I agree with these or not isn't the point, and this isn't the place to discuss it, either) cant dampen the mood around the Camp Nou. We're five points clear of Madrid, who are having a little bit of bother with selection for this weekend, and overall, life is great.

If every cloud has a silver lining, then the Copa Del Rey exit is the embodiment of this phrase. Having one less game per week has relinquished a lot of strain from the squad, and this bonus is reflected in our improved performances lately. It only gets better, too : Busquets is back from injury, and Yaya has returned from international duty.

With all of this taken into consideration, Barça head into tonight's clash in an excellent position. Consequentially, we should expect a top quality performance against a Gijon team who, without any disrespect meant, have lacked real quality this season, despite sitting in a fairly comfortable league position.

Alves has unfortunately picked up an injury, and considering the way he has been playing lately, this should be a huge blow. The perfect remedy is, however, Carles Puyol. Always dependable, always playing well, we know he will slot into right back perfectly as always, providing a different option, and perhaps allowing Abidal to go forward more often as he has been doing lately, with exceptional skill, I might add.

Of course, moving Puyol out right does leave one selection question : who to play with Pique?

Dima has had a hard time lately, and I'm not sure a starting role is the best way to resolve this. Likewise, Marquez hasn't been playing well either. Step up, Gabbi Milito.

Since returning to action from his injury, Milito's performances have improved with every game, the most recent of which being the best, against Valladolid last week. I have faith in Milito, and with the 5 point gap, and potential for Madrid to slip up this weekend (more about that later) I'd like to see him handed a starting role, in order to see if he can fully progress to recapturing his impeccable pre-injury form.

As such, my lineup would be :

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

Puyol---Milito---Pique---Abidal

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

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

---Messi----Zlatan---Henry-----

Of course, several of these selections are up for debate. Notably, Pep may opt for Dima or Marquez instead of Milito. Or, in a less expected move, he could deploy Maxwell at right back and allow Puyol to stay in the middle.

Likewise, Busquets COULD start ahead of Toure. Considering the former is just returning from an injury, however, I'd rather see Yaya given the nod.

Henry's play has been improving a lot lately, and all that's missing is goals. I'd like to see him get a start and get a goal, along with Zlatan who needs to get out of his scoring drought sooner rather than later.

I predict a comfortable win, perhaps with a few defensive lapses. I'll go for 3-1.

Finally, Madrid have, as I mentioned, something of a selection nightmare. Ronaldo is out for 2 games and Higuain is injured. They also haven't won in A Coruña in 19 years. I would not be surprised to see Super Depor claim a draw, and help us on our way to a 6 point gap.

Barça/Tenerife

After a disappointing game during the week in the Copa against Sevilla (albeit with a weakened starting 11) Pep Guardiola will try to use this week's game against Tenerife to increase team moral. The islanders have been generally very poor throughout the season, with the odd result like a draw against Atletico coming more from the Madrid side playing poorly than Tenerife playing well.

On the injury front, Eric Abidal has recovered and is in the squad, but I imagine Maxwell will get the nod ahead of him in anticipation of the return leg with Sevilla during the week, in which Abidal will be vital.

Zlatan will miss the game due to collecting a fifth yellow card against Villareal.

Pedro will therefore get a chance to play against the team he supported as a boy. Hopefully he will not allow such emotions to have an impact on his game in a negative manor. In light of suspensions and the game in midweek, I expect we will lineup as follows:

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

Alves---Puyol--Pique--Maxwell

------------Busquets---------------

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

Pedro------Henry------Messi-----

The performance of Marquez in the holding midfield role during the week left a lot to be desired, so I see no reason for Busquets to be missing from the starting 11. Likewise, another poor game from Chygrynsky means the obvious choice for Pep would be our strongest back two of Puyol and Pique. Alves more or less picks himself when available, and Abidal is recovering for an injury as I alluded to earlier.

Henry and Messi are interchangeable, and I expect them to swap roles throughout the game. Hopefully Henry can put in an equally impressive performance tonight as he did against Villareal, as this is a vital time in the season where our squad is stretched thin. Players need to rise to the challenge and help the team, especially big ones like Titi.

As for the score? I expect nothing but a win, and I also think we'll keep a clean sheet. I'll go for 3-0 Barça (though sometimes when I guess these scores I still think in terms of last season, so 2-0 may be a more accurate outcome).

Visca el Barça i visca Catalunya!

Barça/Villareal

Firstly (primermente) : Happy new year, feliz año nuevo i bon any nou!

Now that's over with ,it's time to address the first game of the year, against Villareal at the Camp Nou.

Cast your mind back to last season, where a victory over the Yellow Submarine at the Camp Nou would have secured La Liga for us. Recall how we led them 3-1 with about 10 minutes to go. Recall Abidal being sent off, Fernandez scoring the resulting penalty, and then, in the 92nd minute, Llorente equalizing and ruining our league celebrations (for a while).

The moral of the story is, Villareal are never an easy team to beat. Despite a shaky start to the season, their poor results have often overshadowed good performances. What makes matters worse is that they're starting to hit form now, too. I expect this game to be open, and difficult.

Yaya is of course on international duty, and Keita is out injured. Jeffren is also still recovering from an injury, and several youth team players have been called up to bolster the squad (namely Gai Assulin, Thiago Alcántara, Víctor Vázquez and Jonathan dos Santos) though I don't expect them to play a major part.

In good news, Iniesta has been given the green light to play, as such, I imagine we'll line up as follows:

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

-Alves----Puyol--Pique---Abidal

--------------Busquets-----------------

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

Pedro-------Zlatan-------Henry---

Messi did not take part in training this week, reportedly due to Pep's fears that he is being overworked. I wouldn't expect him to play any part in the game as a result. This is a big game for Henry then, as Zlatan has yet to play Villareal before. We should expect the Frenchman to lead by example therefore. Henry needs to step up to the plate for us now, at this crucial point in the season where the calender becomes congested. Still, I don't expect us to outscore them by much, though I do expect a brilliant game.

I'll go for 3-2, with Zlatan, Henry and Iniesta netting.

Until my next update:

Visca el Barça i visca Catalunya!