Barcelona News Thread

[Magical20]

Originally Posted by Super Pibe #7

Wow elmundodeportivo is a great newspaper.AS is the one full of crap.

I cant always get sources for these things its stuff i hear or just come across



Well the debts currently are around 60-70m.But before laporta took over gaspart threw money apart for fun i think it was around more than 200m.

el mundo gossip a lot.. they're very biased and make up EVERYTHING about barça that they WANT! ..marca would be better.. everyone always comes with crap in el mundo..i just dont believe it and in this case i already know its not true !

[Magical20]

Originally Posted by Super Pibe #7

Remember that 12 year old argentine kid barcelona and other clubs were chasing.He is lost now and just because he left argentina at a young age.

Leo messi's not lost ! wahaha no just kidding.. never heard of that kid.. maybe we'll find him one day i'd like to see more argentinos in barça

[Magical20]

For More Barça News : Spanish Football > La Liga Overall News

[bandini]

LONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Barcelona face the prospect of spoiling their record as the first club to play 400 European matches this week by becoming the first Champions League title holders to be eliminated at the group stage.

The desire to avoid such ignominy and celebrate such a milestone with a victory at their Nou Camp stronghold will no doubt spur Barcelona to the win they need against Werder Bremen in Group A on Tuesday.

Anything less than victory in the final round of group matches, and Frank Riijkaard's side will hand the trophy over to another contender before even having a go at the knockout phase.

There is no shortage of creditable aspirants to the crown, starting with Chelsea, the team that put Barcelona in this tricky spot.

Chelsea will watch from the comfortable vantage point of a home game against Levski Sofia, who have lost all five matches in Group A, scored only once and conceded 15 goals. Only a huge upset and a Werder shock in Barcelona can rob Chelsea of top spot in the group.

Arsenal, playing away to 2004 champions Porto in Group G on Wednesday, could help produce a double shock if they and Barcelona were both to lose and end up in the UEFA Cup.

If there is a draw at Porto, the Portuguese side will go through with Arsenal, but CSKA Moscow are waiting to pounce if there is a winner. The Russian side can take one of the berths if they win at Hamburg SV, who have lost all their matches, and leap into second place.

Liverpool, the champions the year before Barcelona, return to the scene of their 2005 final victory over AC Milan in Istanbul to play Galatasaray on Tuesday with top spot in Group C in the bag.

PSV Eindhoven are also through and Girondins Bordeaux, the team they entertain, have secured a UEFA Cup berth.

Premier League pacesetters Manchester United, looking to win the European Cup for the third time, must at least draw at home against Benfica in Group F on Wednesday to avoid the embarrassment of a second successive group stage elimination.

United should have gone into the match leading the group after beating Benfica 1-0 in Lisbon in September - avenging their shock group stage elimination by the Portuguese team last season - but a penalty miss by Louis Saha handed Celtic a 1-0 win and qualification in the all-British clash in Glasgow last month.

Wayne Rooney should give United the necessary inspiration but a defeat would send Benfica, their rivals in the final when they won the trophy for the first time in 1968, through instead.

AS Roma host twice finalists Valencia needing a draw to be sure of finishing second in Group D behind the Spanish side, who travel short of several first-choice players through injury and suspension.

If the in-form Francesco Totti's team should lose in Rome's Olympic Stadium they could hand qualification to Shakhtar Donetsk, who must beat Olympiakos Piraeus away.

There is also a place up for grabs in Group H, where six times champions AC Milan have already secured theirs. Lille are playing Milan at San Siro looking for a shock victory to stand a chance of climbing from third place.

But they need AEK Athens, looking for a hat-trick of wins after failing to register any victories in their first 21 Champions League games, to lose at Anderlecht.

The impressive Olympique Lyon, who host Steaua Bucharest, and record nine times European champions Real Madrid, away to Dynamo Kiev, are already through in Group E. Steaua have qualified for the UEFA Cup.

In Group B, only top spot is at stake when Bayern Munich host Inter Milan, one of the pre-tournament favourites who made life difficult for themselves by losing their first two matches including the visit of the German champions to San Siro.

Sporting, who upset Inter 1-0 in Lisbon in their opening match, can secure a UEFA Cup place with a draw at home against Spartak Moscow.

source: soccernet.com

[Magical20]

Werder Bremen's coach, Thomas Schaaf, and captain, Torsten Frings, both agreed that FC Barcelona are favourites to win on Tuesday and admitted that it would be a surprise if the Blaugrana lost the game.


The Bundesliga leaders are confident, however, that can cause a shock and looked to move the pressure onto Frank Rijkaard's side. Schaaf described the encounter as "a final" because the winners would progress to the last 16 of the Champions League but did say that "it will be a surprise if Barça do not win".

Schaaf happy with a draw With Werder Bremen sitting in second place in Group A with ten points, two more than Barça, the visitors' coach, who played for the German side between 1979 and 1994, admitted that "the draw would be fine with me". He went on to say: "I would accept that without any problem, it is Barça that have to win. They are the favourites to win the tournament, along with Chelsea. For us to win this final would be something very special."

Frings: "Barça have more to lose"

Frings is Werder's most experienced play in Europe with 66 games under his belt and he will captain the team in Camp Nou in the absence of the injured Frank Baumann. The stand-in skipper believes that the onus is very much on the hosts as he said: "The team that has the pressure on it is Barça. They are defending the trophy and they have much more to lose than us."

Three out of action

Going into the game, Schaaf will definitely be without Baumann, as well Egyptian forward Mohamed Zidan and defender Patrick Owomoyela. The latter duo have not appeared much this season. As for Baumann, his unavailability has meant that the team has been reshuffled although it was hoped that he would recover from an ankle injury in time for this match, but he did not make it.

Up front with Klose

Miroslav Klose is, arguably, Werder's most dangerous player. With ten goals in 13 games he tops the Bundesliga scoring charts this season. Schaaf has two options to play alongside the German international. In the last few games in the league, Hugo Almeida has been his partner, but Aaron Hunt is also vying for a spot in the starting line-up thanks to his five goals this term.

[Magical20]

Frank Rijkaard knows his side have win against Werder Bremen and he is looking forward to the crucial Champions League encounter. "We have to go out and attack", he said ahead of the game.

FC Barcelona have their future in the competition in their own hands as they meet the Bundesliga leaders on Tuesday evening in Camp Nou. The only thing they can do is win the match. In this sense, Rijkaard explained: "The players are all very confident." He assured that his side will "go out with the desire to do what they have to do to win."

Not thinking about elimination

The worst-case scenario is that Barça could fail to clinch all three points and exit the Champions League before the knockout stage. For the coach though, there is no thought of this happening. "I do not want to think about this possibility," he said. "We are preparing for the game and our minds have to be focussed solely on winning. The team is preparing to go and complete our task."

Rijkaard believes that his players are ready for the match as he said that "everyone is concentrating on this match". An extra motivation for his squad, according to the coach, is is that "Werder Bremen have said that they are better than they were last season."

Analysing Werder

The attacking style of the visitors could favour Barça, Rijkaard believes, but he warned that "they will have to show how strong they are". He then added: "They play in a similar way both at home and away, and that ensures that it will be a very interesting game between two teams that will go out there looking for a positive result for their own reasons." Analysing the Werder team, the Barça boss continued: "They are physically strong and have a lot of very tall players. We will have to pay attention to that and avoid doing certain things."

Team play

Rafael Márquez is back in the squad after recovering from an ankle injury. "Márquez is doing well and he has been given clearance to play and could well be included," Rijkaard explained.

When asked whether the Werder game is the type of encounter that Ronaldinho could prove to be crucial in, Rijkaard replied:"We all know what he is capable of and he has nothing to prove. Ronaldinho is a very important player for us, but the team is made up of eleven players and we cannot depend on just one. What is most important is how the team plays and only when the team works together can certain individuals shine."

Message to the fans


With tension growing among the Barça fans ahead of the crunch meeting with Werder Bremen, Rijkaard was keen to ask them to turn that into support. "It is logical that people are nervous," he said. "Football is emotional and a lot of the time it causes tension."

"But what is most important is that fans help us by cheering us on and with songs because we will need them behind us so that we can achieve what we have to do." The club has prepared various attractions and events for the fans that will take place before the game.

[Magical20]

FC Barcelona Werder Bremen go head-to-head for the last remaining place in Group A of the Champions League on Tuesday. The encounter in Camp Nou will see the winner take it all and Ronaldinho is well aware of the importance of the game: "It will be like a final," he said.


As the two sides, that currently sit in second third place in the table, lining up against each other the tension is mounting. The Germans need only a draw to progress, while Barça have to win the match. Despite the stakes being high, Ronaldinho is not feeling the pressure: "I am very calm and keen to do well," he said. " I am fine at the moment, but on the morning of the game that will change."

No fear

The Brazilian superstar did admit that he recognised that this game is not just another game and is vital: "I am aware that there is a greater sense of expectancy surrounding this game than other days," he stated. "But there is always a great responsibility and tomorrow will be just the same." Ronaldinho knows the strengths of the opposition, but was keen to point out that Barça will not be afraid. "We both respect each, because we know that there are good players in both teams, but there is no fear," he said.

The recipe for success
"We have to play like we always do," he said. "We have to pay attention at counter-attacks and keep possession of the ball:" These are the two key points that Ronaldinho believes will see Barcelona triumph. The former PSG forward also outlined the mentality his team will take into the match. "We will go out looking to score from the first minute and everyone has to always think positively."

Familiarity means that Werder are a side that the Barça squad did not have to learn much about, according to Ronaldinho. "We know them well," he explained. "We know there players and how they play."

Enjoying the moment

It may be a huge match, but Ronaldinho has no intention of not taking his normal approach to a game as he explained: "The aim is always to enjoy yourself," he said. "Of course, we will have to work hard when we need to. For these games you prepare slightly differently, but with the home crowd behind us we have to be able to enjoy this kind of match."

[Magical20]

Barça entertain Werder Bremen (20:45, A3) in a game that will decide which of the two clubs goes into the hat for the second round of the Champions League and which side is relegated to the UEFA Cup. It's the biggest game of the season so far.


The hour is upon us. It is do or die in the Champions League. Barça take on in-form German outfit Werder Bremen, and unless they win, their European title defence will be over (20:45, A3). The draw will not do, that would see Werder joining the already qualified Chelsea in the next round. But, although everybody is aware that the pressure will be on tonight, there is confident mood in the Barça camp. Rijkaard has a strong side to pick from, and Ronaldinho, who thrives on big occasions like this, got a well deserved rest at the weekend.

Near full strength side: Frank Rijkaard has Rafa Márquez back from his ankle injury suffered in Sofia in the last Champions league outing. But Javier Saviola has been declared unavailable, although he is almost completely recovered from his own injury concerns. Rijkaard opted not to play Ronaldinho in Saturday's draw at Levante, preferring to rest his star player ahead of tonight's crunch encounter.

Two quality strikers: The Brazilian has found his form again after a slow start to the season, and is now the leading scorer in the Spanish championship, with ten goals. But Werder Bremen have a forward who is proving just as dangerous in front of goal this term. He may not have Ronaldinho's 'magic' touch, but Miroslav Klose has been on target the same number of times in the Bundesliga, and he was also, of course, the top scorer at last summer's World Cup.

Germans not daunted: Thomas Schaaf's side comes to the Camp Nou with their minds set on causing a surprise and qualifying from a very tough group. You could say that they have 'nothing to lose and everything to win'. Drawn in a group with arguably the two strongest sides in the competition, Chelsea and Barça, Werder Bremen have already exceeded expectations by getting as a far as the last round of matches and still having a very real chance of qualification. Didier Drogba's last minute goal in the Barça v Chelsea match means that the side that is currently on top of the German Bundesliga now just need a draw at the Camp Nou. It promises to be a memorable game, Werder, like Barça, play fresh, attacking football, and although they only need a draw, they are more likely to play the game the way they know best and come out in search of a win.

History on Barça's side: Werder Bremen have never won at the Camp Nou. The first time they met at the venue was in 1992-93 in the return leg of the European Super Cup, when Barça won 2-1. Last season the two sides met in the Champions league group stage and Frank Rijkaard's side won 3-1 with goals from Gabri, Ronaldinho and Larsson. Werder's only goal was scored by Borowski.

[Lazarus]

CSKA Moscow's Daniel Carvalho has admitted he is flattered by reported interest from Barcelona.

The Spanish giants are thought to be taking a keen interest in the Brazilian forward, who in recent years has emerged as a real talent.

Now with just 12 months left on his CSKA deal, some of Europe's big hitters are starting to take a keen interest.

Carvalho admits he is not considering his options, but he is pleased to hear that Barca could be ready to make a move.

"I'm pleased that Barcelona is interested in me," said Carvalho speaking from CSKA's Spanish training camp ahead of their UEFA Champions League match with Hamburg on Wednesday.

"But at the moment I have a contract with CSKA. I plan to play for CSKA till the end of my contract.

It would be a real shame to see him go but his talents do deserve more than the Russian League, hopefully a new contract can be agreed but I would not be too dissapointed if he went to Barca. What would Barca fans think of the deal ?

[kennethlindheim]

I don't see this happening. Haven't Barcelona claimed that they're not gonna sign anyone in January?

[Magical20]

Originally Posted by kennethlindheim

I don't see this happening. Haven't Barcelona claimed that they're not gonna sign anyone in January?

the have... i didnt want to close this thread..but i've already said it a couple of times + you can find it somewhere in the news thread..barça have said REPEATEDLY that they're not buyin anyone.. + in january eto'o will be back .. why would they buy a striker than.. saviola will also be back soon.. im moving this thread to the rumours.. coz that's what it is..

[Magical20]

Barça needed the fans support this evening, and the Camp Nou responded as it knows best. 95,824 spectators packed the stadium to witness a memorable win against German side Werder Bremen.

It was the highest attendance of the season, even bigger than that for the Chelsea match (90,199) and the League clash with Sevilla (91,220). 95,824 people is about as good as it gets at the Camp Nou, whose capacity is limited to 96,232 for European matches due to the area of seats between the two sets of supporters not being offered for sale and certain zones being restricted for the use of television cameras.

The fans got behind the team from the very start, with a splendid mosaic covering the area along the touchline reading 'Som-hi tots' (Let's go). It was a wonderful welcome for the Barça players, and also a way of unsettling the Bremen squad in such an imposing venue as the Camp Nou.

Bad record for Bremen

Werder Bremen have a dreadful history at Camp Nou, having lost on all four visits: 3-0 in the Joan Gamper in 1968, 2-1 in the European Super Cup in 1993, 3-2 in last season's Champions League and 2-0 tonight.

In fact, Bremen have never beaten Barça anywhere. In eight encounters (including two friendlies) FC Barcelona have won five and dawn three.

[Magical20]

Barça got the job done in the first twenty minutes. And one of the main reasons for that was way the players were so motivated for the task at hand. As Deco says "we went out strong ".

It was the biggest game of the season so far, and Barça passed the test with flying colours. The players knew what they had to do, and that was to try to get the job done as early as possible. Motta agreed that the players "had said in the dressing room that we had to go out strong." One of the most motivated players of all was Ronaldinho, who surprised everybody by tapping home a low free kick when his famous trademark is to bend the ball on high. "Ronaldinho was clever and saw the chance", said Giuly.

The following is a summary of some of the comments made by the players after the game:

Ludovic Giuly:

"We needed to win the game to enjoy this moment, for the squad, for everybody. We have proven that we are going to be staying around for a long time."
"We were organised out there, we played at a good pace. He put on the pressure and scored two early goals that allowed us to relax. In the second half, we played further back and waited for Bremen to come at us, and they laid on plenty of pressure."
"Ronaldinho was clever and saw the chance."
"Ronnie sent me a good pass and I saw Guddy on his own and set him up to score the second goal."
"Now we are on full steam and we hope things can go well for us."
"The mood in the dressing room is relaxed. We just want to enjoy this moment."

Deco:

"We arent worried who we play in the second round. Now we have the semi finals in Japan and we are thinking about those games. Then we can rest a bit and think about the Champions League." "We controlled the game, we played well."
"The support of the crowd is essential, but it's true that we went out strong."
"Ronnie had rested (against Levante) and was well prepared for this match."
"That is the way Barça should play."

Giovanni van Bronckhorst:

"We defended well. The whole team helped out a lot in defence."
"We never felt the result was in danger at any time."
"Ronaldinho played a very important match for us."
"We have shown that we are better than Werder Bremen."
"We are pleased we are through to the next round. As for the next opponent, I have no preferences."

Thiago Motta:

"We worked hard and we're into the next round."
"Before the competition started we knew it was going to be difficult, but we are through and thats the most important thing."
"We spoke about the game in the dressing room and knew we had to go out there strong. We finished off the game in the first twenty minutes."
"Together, we managed to deal with a game that was going to be difficult."
"The free kick, nobody suspected he was going to hit it low. It surprised everybody, especially the keeper."

Rafa Márquez:

"I don't have any preferences for the second round. But I would like to avoid Olympique Lyon."

[Magical20]

Barça's defence of the Champions league title is still alive after beating Werder Bremen with goals from Ronaldinho and Gudjohnsen. Barça have once again withstood the pressure and will be in the hat for the second round draw.


Barça had only one option this evening, and that was to take all three points from the final first round Champions League match against Werder Bremen. But despite the tremendous pressure to deliver, they got the hard work out of the way early on with a fantastic first half performance. An extraordinarily cunning free kick from Ronaldinho, followed by a prime example of Gudjohnsen's goalscoring instinct ensured that Barça will be in the hat for the second round draw. Justice was served, and Europe will be able to continue enjoying the finest football in the continent.

Pressure and intensity

It was an exemplary first half performance from Frank Rijkaard's side. With Ronaldinho leading the playmaking, Werder Bremen were surprised by the Catalan outfit's first touch football and relentless pressure, with a defence that was giving nothing away, and a midfield capable of creating danger with every attack.

Ronaldinho the hero again

Ronaldinho's opener was a peach. Barça were awarded a free kick on the edge of the Bremen area, and practically the entire German team gathered to form the wall, prepared for one of the Brazilian's trademark free kicks. But rather than hit the ball high, Ronaldinho opted to slip the ball along the ground with the inside of his foot and right through the feet of the unsuspecting defence. It caught everybody by surprise, and the ball slipped inside the post leaving visiting keeper Wiese with no option but to vent his frustration at being outwitted on his defence. Once again Ronaldnho had produced a moment of unforgettable magic just when the pressure was really on.

Gudjohnsen in his place

Barça were 1-0 up, but there was no time to relax, because a Werder equaliser would still be able to put them out of the tournament, and what followed was a relentless period of non-stop Barça pressure. And Werder did not know what had happened when Barça conjured up another goal to remember. Ronaldinho switched the play from right to left with a sublimely perfect pass to Giuly who beat the offside trap to slip the ball through to an opportunistic Gudjohnsen to slot home from point black range. Just 18 minutes into the game and Barça were already looking comfortable.

Great football but no more goals

Barça did not take their feet off the gas, but the third goal just did not want to come. The most clear-cut chance came after an amazing run from Deco, straight up the middle of the pitch, steamrolling the Bremen midfield out of his way. He got the ball to Gudjohnsen who skipped and jockeyed his way around four defenders but his shot ended up hitting the post to rebound into the path of Giuly, who inexplicably managed to miss the open goal.

Things calm down

In the second half, the game took a somewhat different course. Barça played it more conservatively, and although Bremen never gave up the hunt, they never really looked like getting back into the game. Frank Rijkaard's side was willing to let the Germans hold onto most of the possession, although they still managed to create the odd chance of their own, including one when Gudjohsen, having his liveliest evening in a Barça shirt, failed to beat Werder keeper Weile in a one on one.

Solid defence

Thuram came on for Motta while Xavi replaced the injured Iniesta, which added a bit more spark to a Barça side that had dangerously come to rely almost entirely on the defence, supremely led as usual by Puyol, and with Valdés not making a single error. Neither did Werder create much danger themselves, save a Jensen effort that alarmingly struck the Barça crossbar in the 61st minute. The clock ticked away, with Werder getting half chance after half chance but very little coming of them, as the 95,824 spectators around them starting enjoying yet another memorable night of European football at the Camp Nou, and looking forward to finding who they will meet next in their quest to retain the biggest prize in European club football.