All Bar�a�s football

Match

Marcador del partit

Date: Thursday, 24 Jan
Competition: ???label.competicio2???
Stadium: El Madrigal, Villarreal

Resultat:

Villarreal CF: 0
FC Barcelona: 0

Match report

Match Report
Pre-Match

Match Report

A valuable draw for Bar�a (0-0)

Jordi Clos

Bar�a have taken a well-deserved draw away from Villarreal�s Madrigal stadium in the Cup quarterfinal first leg. They dominated throughout but failed to punish the home side in the final metres.

The Cup clash was a world away from the league game earlier in the season when Bar�a lost for the first time in the season. That day Villarreal were in dazzling form whereas tonight it was Bar�a that dominated and sparkled despite failing to take their chances, especially in the second half. The ball just wouldn’t enter the net and now it’ll all be decided in next week’s second leg in the Camp Nou.

Taking control

Bar�a made a well-organised and serious start, pushing the ball around confidently and taking control of the game. Henry had Bar�a’s best chance of the first half after just 5 minutes, shooting just wide of the post after Iniesta’s assist. With Bar�a dominating possession, Giovani also tried his luck.

More control

Bar�a gradually lost some of their early penetration but continued to retain the ball. The game stagnated a little in midfield and the second quarter of the match was pretty much the least attractive, with a number of hopeful long range efforts easily dealt with by both keepers. The only exception was a dangerous shot from Nihat that Vald�s turned away for a corner.

More penetration

Leo Messi replaced Giovani Dos Santos at the beginning of the second half and Bar�a continued to retain possession and concentration with M�rquez policing the midfield area. Villarreal could hardly get past the halfway line and it seemed that every loose ball fell to a Bar�a player. Iniesta forced a spectacular save from Villarreal keeper Diego L�pez in the 62nd minute.

Just lacking a goal

Bar�a were playing well and a goal looked inevitable. In the 73rd minute, Diego L�pez produced another good save to frustrate Iniesta. The one-way traffic was broken only by a long-range effort by Marcos Senna that Vald�s did well to touch over his crossbar. Bojan joined the party and together with Iniesta continued testing Diego L�pez. The fans were treated to some pacy one-touch football in what was probably one of Bar�a’s best away performances of the season.

Bar�a had the chance to win the match and possibly the tie but were unable to take advantage of their excellent play and control and finally had to settle for a draw. A good result that leaves everything to be decided in the Camp Nou.

Preview

One previous Cup meeting

The two sides have only met once before in the Cup, in the early rounds of the 1970-71 season. Bar�a, managed at the time by English coach Vic Buckingham, overcame a 1-0 defeat in Villarreal to win 2-0 in the Camp Nou.

Bar�a look for Cup glory

Jordi Clos

Bar�a travel to Villarreal tonight for the first leg of their Cup quarterfinal tie determined to improve on their recent record against their Mediterranean coast neighbours.

The league will be put to one side tonight as Bar�a return to the Kings Cup. It will be no easy task for Bar�a as Villarreal have won four of the last five matches between the two clubs.

A warning

Bar�a lost the last meeting between the two clubs 3-1, conceding two goals in the opening ten minutes. And a 2-0 defeat last season did much to deflate Bar�a’s chances of lifting their third consecutive league title. As Frank Rijkaard told reporters at the pre-match press conference: “We’ve been warned”.

Edm�lson returns

sevilla-fcb_xc.reix.jpg Rijkaard has named a squad of 18 players, two of whom are carrying slight injury problems. Edm�lson has been cleared for action at the last minute but Abidal (left foot) Ronaldinho, Ezquerro and Jorquera are all unavailable due to injury while Eto’o and Tour� Yaya are still away at the African Cup of Nations.

Uncertain line-up

Tonight’s starting line-up is hard to predict given the usual rotation of players between league and Cup matches. Rijkaard has given no indication as to whether Jos� Manuel Pinto will replace Vald�s in goal and it seems unlikely that Messi will be fit enough to play the full 90 minutes. However, both Oleguer and Edm�lson may well return to the team after overcoming their respective injury problems.

Villarreal in form

Villarreal, who have never reached the semi-finals of the Kings Cup, welcome back Mat�as Fern�ndez, Tomasson and Josico but continue without ‘Guille’ Franco and Fabricio Fuentes due to injury. However, they are on a good run of form at the moment with comfortable wins against Deportivo and Valencia as well as an epic Cup win against Recreativo. They’ll be relying on forwards Nihat and Rossi to maintain the momentum tonight against Bar�a, not forgetting the upcoming league clash with Real Madrid at the weekend.