First Final of the Season; Copa Del Rey Final Preview

Athletic Bilbao and FC Barcelona are the two clubs which can boast of maximum Copa Del Rey victory in the history of the tournament. FC Barcelona has won the cup 24 times whereas Athletic lies just behind with 23 victories. For FC Barcelona there inability to close out La Liga last week means this is their chance to win the first silverware of this season. But most of Barca players has been deprived of rest in last match and the majority of stars who will start this final are deprived of any match time. How much these two factors are going to affect the performance has to be seen. But for players like Gudjohnsen, Hleb and Bojan it is the best way to showcase their talent and probably book a starting place in Champions League final in Rome, especially with Henry being in doubt. This is one trophy which we had been missing for almost 11 years. The last time when we won it, Guardiola was still a player at FC Barcelona. It is very difficult for players to suddenly forge a partnership and then prove themselves. Hence this will be more tough than what we all have expected it to be.

Mean while Athletic Bilbao has prepared well for the final with a home win against Real Betis. That victory made sure that they will stay out of relegation zone this season. To top it all they were able to rest majority of their stars. Andoni Iraola, Aitor Ocio, Koikili Lertxundi, Javi Martinez, Pablo Orbaiz, Fran Yeste and Fernando Llorente were all left out of the squad altogether. Guardiola would be giving some of the cup regulars a start for this final. The attacking trio most probably would be made of Messi, Eto and Bojan. Keita, Busquets and Xavi should form the midfield. Alves who is destined to miss the Champions League final surely should start. Sylvinho as is the case with Copa Del Rey matches should occupy the left back role. Caceres and Pique would be the ideal choice at central defense infront of Pinto. As I said earlier this one is going to be a very tough battle. But the dissappointment at the weekend should drive the players. Bojan who has a great chance to book his place in teh Champions League final. Keita also do stand a good chance. So both these player should be motivated to perform to their best. I predict a 2-1 victory for Barcelona.

Andres Iniesta Expected to be Fit for Champions League Final

Ok, for all the Barca fans who had their fingers crossed while Iniesta had further tests today can relax for the time being now. According to Sport.es there is a high possibility of the player being fit for the finals against Manchester United. The report suggests that the injury is not as serious as one thought. The tests confirmed that Iniesta has suffered only a small tear to the muscle in his right leg and that he will be able to recover quickly. There is no official confirmation from the club website but if we go by the Thierry Henry injury report by Sport.es, we may have a strong reason to believe this. Andres Iniesta has been an integral part of this dream team of Guardiola. He undoubtedly has been the star of the show in recent months and his performances and his consistency has seen fans placing him along with Messi.

The rest could come as a boon for Iniesta who has been playing non-stop football after he returned back from a similiar injury. That absence of Iniesta coincided with Barca's bad form and that explains how essential is the player for Barca. Iniesta will miss the Copa Del Rey final on wednesday and will miss the rest of the three league matches. If things go well we might see him getting some playing time against Deportivo, the last league game of this season. This news definitely is a huge relief for Guardiola and Barca fans. There is a high chance that we will miss Henry for the showdown match and hence we cannot afford to lose Iniesta.

Title Party Postponed; FC Barcelona - 3, Villareal - 3

An injury time goal from has postponed FC Barcelona's League title victory for atleast one week. FC Barcelona needs now only one point from their last three matches to conquer the La Liga. They may not even need that if Real Madrid fails to win their next game. Guardiola has to be dissappointed after being held 3-3 at home against Villareal, especially considering that we led 3-1 before relinquishing our lead. But that dissappointment will be nothing when compared to the injury sustained by Andres Iniesta. The initial reports confirms that Iniesta has tore his muscle and most likely will be missing Champions League final. He will undergo detailed tests today and more information will be available after that. If we have to go by the number of players getting injured in weeks, Guardiola might have to field majority of players from B team in the UEFA Champions League final. Guardiola wanted to grab the league title against Villareal. He send in a strong line-up with Alves, Abidal, Puyol and Pique in defense. Keita, Toure and Xavi in midfield. Iniesta, Messi and Eto upfront.

FC Barcelona started the game really well. Eto and Xavi had decent chances early, but both shot wide. In the 12th minute Abidal passed the ball to Keita who carried the ball forward before shooting from just outside the area; the ball took a deflection off Gonzalo and looped nicely over Villarreal keeper Diego Lopez into the net. In the 22nd minute Toure lost the ball to Ibagaza who played the ball to Rossi. Rossi then sent in a great cross to Llorente who made no mistake with the header. Then in the 25th minute Valdes produced a brilliantb save to deny Rossi after Alves gave away the ball cheaply. Then in the 36th minute Barca restored their lead after good work from Iniesta who passed the ball to Eto who made no mistake with his finish. Then just befor the half time we went 3-1 ahead courtesy of a brilliant free kick from Alves. FC Barcelona controlled the game throughout the second half, but lacked the punch to finish off the game. Barca ghad some decent chances in the second half. Xavi even had the ball in the net but was flagged incorrectly for offside. Then in the 77th minute Abidal conceded a penalty and was awarded a straight red-card after he blocked Rossi. Mati Fernandez made no mistake with the penalty. Guardiola brought in Sylvinho and Busquets for Xavi and Eto. Then in the 92nd minute Llorente broke heart of 95,776 fans with a great strike.

Surely it was a dissappointment that we couldn't win the game at home. But no one will be worried abouth that. But the most important thing to worry is Iniesta's injury. Iniesta has been our best player for some months and losing him for the Champions League final will put serious doubt about our chances. Iniesta, Henry, Abidal and Marquez now will not be available for the mid-week Copa Del Rey final. What is worrying that these injuries came at a time when our best player, Lionel Messi is struggling for form. The defense tonight was a joke and Guardiola has to think how he want to align the defense for Champions league final.