Mar 17, 2010

FC Barcelona vs Stuttgart - UEFA Champions League Preview

FC Barcelona vs Stuttgart - Champions League Second Leg Preview

FC Barcelona will start as firm favourite to qualify for the next stage of this season's Champions league. Barca struggled at Stuttgart but escaped with a crucial away goal - FC Barcelona vs Stuttgart 1st Leg Match Report. Stuttgart may consider extremely unlucky for not winning that tie after causing serious concerns to Barca throughout the match. Eventhough FC Barcelona's Away form has not been impressive lately, they have been a real force at home. They are playing nowhere near last season's form, but has been somewhat confident at Home. This match has to be a clash between German Efficiency against the Spanish Flair. The failure of the likes of Chelsea and Real Madrid, to force home the advantage of playing the second leg at home should serve as a reminder for us about the risks involved in the tasks. Complacency is the last thing you want from your players ahead of such a crucial tie. Guardiola has already pointed that - he wants his team to score goal rather than rest on the crucial away goal, indeed a very wise startegy. Guardiola has almost the entire squad available for selection, except Keita.

Mar 15, 2010

Should Ibrahmovic Start Against Stuttgart?

Guardiola will be having his first choice Centre Forward back for selection in the crucial Second Leg clash against Stuttgart. But the question which is doing the round is whether He will or Not start with Ibrahmovic. Considering that Ibra is our only Centre Forward available, that could be a very stupid question. But you can't overlook the fact that the team played at a very good tempo in the absence of their main striker. Actually that has been a critism directed to Ibrahmovic in recent times, that he is killing Barca's quick plays, especially on counter. I firmly believed from the time of his signing that he may not be the best striker for Barca's game. But at this moment, we have only got him, and have to better live with him. Coming back to the question of Whether he should start against Stuttgart, there are enough fans on both sides of the answer for that. Bojan has been dissappointing in last match, but then Guardiola was crazy to start him and Pedro together and to top it, not to start him in the centre. I personally would like to see Bojan starting at the centre against Stuttgart, due to the fact that he is more comfortable in interchanging his positions with Messi and Henry than Ibrahmovic. Ibrahmovic at time during recent matches has been too static and considering his goal scoring and creating record it shouldn't hurt us if he go with Bojan.