I have to admit that I didn’t expect much from today’s game, but the worst thing was the performance of some players who did not play in the Champions League game against Manchester. One would have expected that some players would have given their all in the hope of earning themselves a place in the team at Old Trafford. However, what began as an uninspiring first half ended with a diabolical second half where we saw the worst Barça of a pretty disappointing season. Keep reading →

Frank Rijkaard has rested various players for tonight’s game at Deportivo, including Victor Valdés which means a first team debut for Jose Manuel Pinto. Toure Yaya will continue in midfield. The full team is:  Pinto, Zambrotta, Thuram, Puyol, Sylvinho, Marquez, Toure, Gudjohnsen; Giovani, Bojan  Henry

Frank Rijkaard has decided to rest Xavi, Messi and Eto’o for tomorrow night’s game at Deportivo and they have been left out of the squad along with Iniesta and Milito who are both suspended. This means a return to the squad for Oleguer, Ezquerro and Pedrito. Rijkaard is quite rightly giving preference to the Champions League though of course Barça still need the points in their fight for second place with Villarreal.  Keep reading →

FC Barcelona have reported the theft of president Joan Laporta’s computer. The theft took place on Wednesday night during the game with Manchester United. The thief was caught on security camaras climbing into Laporta’s office through a window. The club found out on Thursday morning and immediately reported the theft to the police.

Any guesses as to who might be behind such a crime?

The LFP have announced the kick off times for next weekend’s games (Jornada 35). Barça’s home game with Valencia has been set for Sunday 4th at 7pm. Real Madrid are away to Osasuna and also play on Sunday, kicking off at 9pm. Remember that the following game is Real Madrid-Barça, which will probably be played on Wednesday 7th May if it isn’t switched to the Thursday for TV reasons.

According to reports in this morning’s papers Jose Edmilson is looking at a possible move to Villarreal. El Sport states that the player underwent a medical at Villarreal on Monday. The player finishes his contract at Barça on June 30 and is therefore free to negotiate with other clubs. Edmilson will be 32 on July 10.

Despite dominating for long periods, Barcelona were unable to break through Manchester United’s defensive wall and now go into next Tuesday’s 2nd leg at Old Trafford needing a score draw or better to reach the final in Moscow on May 21. If the result was a bit disappointing, the performance was cause for optimism as Barça raised their game for the occasion and kept the best team in Europe on the back foot for most of the game. Keep reading →

Fcbnews readers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of keeping Bojan Krkic in the team at the expense of Thierry Henry. When asked who should be dropped to make way for Leo Messi, 67% voted for Henry. Which means the preferred front three at the moment is Messi-Eto’o-Bojan. Of course for tonight’s game some might prefer to put Iniesta forward for a more solid look.

Keep reading →

Manchester United may be without their central defender Nemenja Vidic for tonight’s game at Camp Nou. Vidic appeared yesterday evening at the press conference with Sir Alex Ferguson, but later in the evening he was taken to the Bellvitge hospital complaining with stomach pains. If Vidic doesn’t play his place could be taken by ex-Barça player Gerard Pique.

Thierry Henry has recovered from his fever and has been named in the squad for tomorrow evening’s Champions League semi-final first leg with Manchester United at Camp Nou (kick off 8.45pm). Lilian Thuram comes in for the suspended Carles Puyol but will most likely start on the bench. This is make or break time now for Barça and the consequencies of a defeat will almost certainly lead to some big changes at the club. With La Liga out of reach the Champions League is Barça’s only chance not to have a second consecutive trophyless season. Keep reading →