Messi takes Atletico for a Ride; Atletico-1, Barca-3

FC Barcelona took a firm step forward in moving to the next round of Copa Del Rey with a 3-1 victory at Vicente Calderon against Athletico Madrid. It was the astonishing talent of Lionel Messi, who scored all goals Barca of the night which became the difference between the two sides. The crowd who was expecting their side seek revenge for the 6-1 drubbing by Barca the last time when the sides met was very hostile from the word go, but then you can't blame them for that. But they deservedly gave Lionnel Messi a standing ovation when he was finally replaced by Pedro in the 80th minute. Little Lionnel has described the standing ovation as a very special moment in his playing career. Guardiola chose Pinto ahead of Jorquerra in the goal. The defense was made up of Alves, Caceres, Pique and Sylvinho. In a rather defensive looking midfield Toure played the defensive midfielder's role. On his eitherb side Busquets and Keita were chosen. Henry was given a rest; that means Iniesta, Bojan and Messi formed the attacking trio.

The first attack of the night came from the home team with Pinto rushing off his line to clear the danger possessed by Sinama. Next it was Maniche's chance to test the Barca keeper but his shot was easily dealt by Pinto. On the other hand Keita got Barca's challenge forward with a great attempt at goal but only for Coupet to deny it. In the 12th minute Barca went ahead with a neat finish by Messi after a delightful one two with Messi and Alves. Maniches had one shot saved by Pinto in the 28th minute. In the 36th minute Keita wasted a great oppurtunity to go two up from a delightful Alves cross. The second half also had the same pace as the first. In the 55th minute Heitinga was given a straight red card for a foul on Messi when he looked to score from another Alves cross. The resulting penalty was converted by Messi to take Barca 2-0 up. In the 69th minute Athletico pulled one back when Ujfalusi headed from a corner. Barca retained the two goal lead in the 80th minute when Messi slotted past Coupet from a Iniesta pass. FC Barcelona will be playing the reverse leg at home in two weeks time. They already looked to set to proceed for the next round. But complacency could be the biggest enemy.

Atletico Madrid vs Barca Copa Del Rey Preview

FC Barcelona's quest for Copa Del Rey restarts today with a tough away game against Athletico Madrid. This is one competition which Barca failed to master in recent years. Pep Guardiola would want to correct that this time around. The last time when this two team met, Barca thrashed Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou with a scoreline which read 6-1. This time around it could be a different story. First of all Athletico Madrid is not an easy place to travel; secondly Guardiola has decided to rest four of his main players. The players who won't be travelling are Gudjohnsen, Xavi, Valdes and Eto. Puyol, Marquez and Hleb are all carrying knocks and hence are rested as a precaution. The squad selected for the match is Pinto, Jorquera, Alves, Piqué, Caceres, Abidal, Sylvinho, Victor Sanchez, Toure, Busquets, Keita, Iniesta, Messi, Pedro, Bojan, Henry. Athletico Madrid's defense are pretty vulnerable but they have a very potent attack and it could be a real test for FC Barcelona defense who would be without the service of Puyol and Marquez.

Jorquerra would be picked ahead of Pinto in this match, eventhough he had a pathetic outing in the last Copa Del Rey match. He should be trying to redeem himself but then Athletico Madrid is not the place or the team where you try to pick your form back. He is destined to have a torrid time. Abidal and Alves would be the two full backs and would be called upon many times to help out the defense. Toure, Keita and Busquets may form the midfield. Iniesta is most likely to occupy the front left, with Henry moving into center and Messi on the right. With such an inexperienced Central Defense Guardiola may prefer a more defensive oriented midfield. There could be another possibility of Iniest moving into the midfield with Bojan spear heading the front three. The key to today's game would be to come out unhurt. FC Barcelona is bound to get goals especially considering the fragile Atletico defense but we are also in danger as our central defenders are more error-prone. My prediction would be FC Barcelona winning by a scoreline of 1-2.

SoccerPro - The Best Place to Buy Barca Merchandise

There are hundreds of online sports merchandice shop, but Soccerpro has slowly carved out an individual identity. SoccerPro.com first opened its retail store in early 2004 and launched SoccerPro.com in July. Its owners, Curtis Stelzer and Tony Marrero, both saw a chance to support the development of soccer by creating a fun soccer environment for its customers, employees and anyone and everyone who loves the game of soccer. Almost four year since their launch, it is good to see that they still retain their spirit of Soccer. WE have seen many start-ups making similiar claim earlier, but SoccerPro tends to be different. They have recently started a Soccer Charity named SoccerGrow in June 2008. "SoccerGrow aims to create and maintain a network of partnerships with charities, not-for-profit organizations and individuals through which SoccerPro can donate soccer equipment and money to those who cannot afford it." If you check SoccerGrow.org site you will find that SoccerPro has agreed to match every donation made to Kicks4Kenya. To many this might seem strange; but not to a Barca fan. FC Barcelona believes in the principle of bringing happiness to the less fortunate's life and have to agree that SoccerPro also is doing their best.

I recently received FC Barcelona Line-up Jacket from SoccerPro. SoccerPro provides a decent enough discount on almost all the products purchased from their store. The product was shipped in time but it took some time to reach. But none of that is SoccerPro's problem as the Inidan Post office have to be blamed. Best thing about SoccerPro is that they will ship items to literally everywhere in the world. There is no need to discuss of the quality of the product as it is a Genuine Nike Jersey of top quality. You can find almost all of Europe's top clubs licenced merchandise in their store. The drawback I saw as far as a La Liga fan is that, they only have Real Madrid and FC Barcelona Jerseys available with them. The fans of teams like Valencia, Sevilla, Villareal etc may be a tad dissappointed. Hope they will add more team merchandise very soon. They have some speciality sections in the store like soccer watches, soccer referee apparels, Posters, videos and Magazines. But the best two are the option to Shop By Colour - they have specialised sections for colours like pink, orange, green etc; isn't that a great idea? But the best feature about SoccerPro is the Soccer Gift Ideas. How many times you have been in the embarassing situation of buying gifts for friend which won't fit; Those are things of past as with Soccer Gift Cards you can leave the tension of selecting the product to your loved ones. Overall I was pretty satisfied with their service and I hope they remain true to their ideology.