A penalty converted by Ronaldinho Gaucho and a second half goal from Xavi Hernandez gave Barça a narrow victory over a hard working Deportivo at Camp Nou tonight. The game was not pretty but Barça fans will be delighted with the return to the team of Samuel Eto’o and Deco. Keep reading →

Barça play host tomorrow to Deportivo de la Coruña (kick off 9pm local time) with the more than welcome return of Samuel Eto’o and Deco. Also back in the squad after missing last week’s draw with Espanyol are Lilian Thuram, Sylvinho and Giovani dos Santos who have all recovered from their injuries. On the down side, Toure Yaya has not recovered from his sinusitis and will miss the game along with Thierry Henry, Oleguer and Edmilson. Keep reading →

With just two weeks to go before the biggest game of the season the powers that be have still not announced a kick-off time for El Clasico. There have been a number of rumours that the game will be played on Friday 21st December but I think this is impossible now. Apart from the inconvenience to fans I understand Madrid have a game in the Copa del Rey with Alicante on December 19th. Even if that was moved to the 18th Madrid are hardly likely to accept playing Barça three days later. Keep reading →

Toure Yaya is suffering from flu and could miss Sunday’s game with Deportivo. The Ivory Coast midfielder has missed the last two days of training and may not recover in time for the match. He is said to have fever, migraine and an inflammation of the sinuses. The return of Deco is also under question; despite training normally at the same level as his teammates he has still not received medical clearance. Whether this is just a mix-up with the team doctors is unclear, hopefully he will be given the OK in time. I imagine he will start the game as a substitute along with Samuel Eto’o.

The rumours about Ronaldinho’s future continue to fill the sports pages. Chelsea magnate Roman Abramovich is once again cited as being keen on signing the Brazilian star. Meanwhile Ronaldinho’s brother and agent Roberto de Assis denied any contact with Chelsea. Keep reading →

Despite being four points behind rivals Real Madrid, Barça are still the bookmakers favourite to win this season’s league title. The latest odds for Barça are a miserly 11/10 while you can still get 13/10 on Madrid winning. While I would never question the wisdom of the bookmaker I must say I am slightly surprised at the odds. Keep reading →

Samuel Eto’o today received medical clearance to return to action against Deportivo this Sunday (kick off 9pm). Eto’o was injured on the 29th August in the Joan Gamper match against Inter Milan. All reports say that he has been training at an excellent level and if needed he could play 90 minutes this weekend. Keep reading →

Thierry Henry’s back problems could mean he misses the big clash with Real Madrid the weekend before christmas. According to the club webpage, Henry is suffering from discopathy in his spine in the vertebrae L5-S1. This is a dehydration of the intervertebral disc which is apparently linked to a genetic problem. Keep reading →

Yes, I know it’s yesterday’s news but I’ve been very busy. There were no big surprises in the final results of France Football’s Golden Ball Award. Kaka was the obvious winner for being the best player in last season’s edition of the Champions League. Cristiano Ronaldo just pipped Messi to second place as he won the Premiership with Manchester United. Barça fans of course know that Messi is the best player but to win these awards it seems to count for a lot what you have won at a team level. Keep reading →

Honours were shared tonight on Montjuic as Barça drew 1-1 with Espanyol in a thrilling derby which could have gone either way. Barça now find themselves four points behind Real Madrid but they will be heartened by a good performance away from home. They will surely win more away games if they continue to play like they did tonight. Keep reading →