FCBARCELONA.CAT

10.03.2009 11:45

Fully focused on Olympique

www.fcbarcelona.cat

The first team still have their minds firmly set on Wednesday’s decisive game with Olympique Lyon. In the Tuesday session, Guardiola included seven members of Barça Atlètic.

Barça want to ensure they go into the last eight of Europe’s premier club competition. To do that, they have to get the better of Olympique Lyon at the Camp Nou (20.45). So, since Monday they have been working together on plans to do just that.

Penultimate session

On Tuesday they trained at the Camp Nou in a session that got under way at 11.00, and as usual it was open to the media for the first quarter of an hour. The players started with their usual warm-up drills, all closely followed by the Barça TV cameras.

This was the second to last session for Pep Guardiola and the team before the game itself. The coaching staff have decided once again to have a final session on the same day as the match. On Tuesday, after lunch, the squad will be meeting at the stadium at 18.00 to be transferred to Hotel La Florida .

7 from Barça Atlètic

There were no fewer than 21 first team players present today, just the injured Puyol, Abidal and Milito were absent, and they were joined by seven others from the reserves, namely Córcoles, Botía, Abraham, Xavi Torres, Thiago, Rayo and Benja. Only the first five have a chance of being called up by Pep Guardiola, for Rayo and Benja are not registered for the Champions League.

The centre back for Luis Enrique’s side, Alberto Botía, was named in last weekend’s squad to face Athletic Club, manly to cover for the absences in that position of Dani Alves and Martín Cáceres. Botía also trained with the first team on Monday.