FCBARCELONA.CAT

19.01.2008 14:31

“We feel confident and there’s still a lot of the league to play”

Sandra Sarmiento

Frank Rijkaard is satisfied with his team’s performances over the last few weeks, and he is focused on beating Racing de Santander. For the coach “the main thing is to get the three points”, regardless of what happen in Vicente Calderón.

We can still catch Madrid. We have all the second half of the league. Whilst there are lot of games still to play, a lot of rivals to beat, it seems like everything depends on this weekend. Real Madrid faces Atlético de Madrid in the Vicente Calderón stadium. Third places Atlético have a golden opportunity to break their bad run of against Real at home. And Barça are at home against the surprise team of the year, Racing de Santander.

The technical squad is satisfied with the team’s performance over the last few games. Maybe this is why Rijkaard doesn’t see the Madrid derby as so important: “I just hope we get the three points, that’s what’s important. Then we’ll see what happens”. The Barça coach recognizes that “there’s a points difference with the leaders, but we just have to get as many points as possible. We feel confident and there’s still a lot of the league to play.”

Messi returns

“Every team needs a player like him.” That’s how Thuram responded when asked about Leo Messi during the press conference. Rijkaard continued along the same line: “Messi is important to us. It’s great that he’s recovered and can play. He won’t be able to play the full 90 minutes, but it’s important that he gradually gets back into the rhythm.”

Racing’s good form

Marcelino Garcia’s team arrives at Nou Camp with nothing to lose. They are sixth in the league and recently beat Zaragoza in the cup. Rijkaards says they are a team to watch out for: “It’s not surprising that they are doing so well. They are well-organised and work as a team. We have to take the game seriously.”

Ronaldinho

Barça’s number 10 Gaucho is still undergoing treatment for his injury to his left knee. Rijkaard asked for patience, convinced that we’ll see an improved version of Ronaldinho: “I hope he’ll be back to show his great quality at Barça, pleasing the public and the football world in general. He’s working really hard, and I’m very happy with him”.