La Liga's top two meet in an eagerly
anticipated match at the Vicente Calderon on
Saturday as Atletico Madrid host champions
Barcelona.
Gerardo Martino's Barca are top of the table
on goal difference alone, and their opponents
this weekend have displayed marginally better
recent form in the league.
Atletico have taken maximum points from
their last five games, keeping four clean sheets
and seeing striker Diego Costa score six goals
in the process.
Barca suffered their only league defeat of the
season to date when losing 1-0 to Athletic
Bilbao at the start of December, but have
bounced back by taking nine points from nine
since then and are boosted by Lionel Messi's
return from a hamstring injury.
Messi scored twice after coming on as a
second-half substitute in a 4-0 Copa del Rey
win over Getafe on Wednesday, and will be
looked upon to play a key role against
Atletico.
Xavi, who was rested for the Getafe fixture,
was delighted to see Messi back on the field
ahead of a game he feels could prove crucial
in deciding the destination of this year's title.
"It was an impressive return and (Messi) has
clearly come back hungry and motivated,"
Xavi told Barcelona's official website.
"The game against Atletico is vital for the
outcome of the league - it might not turn out
to be definitive, but a win would lay down a
marker."
In the last 20 years, Atletico and Barca have
met as the sides ranked first and second in
the table on only three occasions, with the
men from Spain's capital winning two of those
meetings.
Barca claimed the Supercopa de Espana when
the teams last faced off, triumphing on away
goals following a 0-0 draw in the second leg
at Camp Nou.
Prior to the first leg of that tie in Madrid,
which finished 1-1, the Catalan giants had
won their last six games against Atletico.
In addition to welcoming back Messi, Barca
are also expected to have Neymar available
following a bout of gastroenteritis, while
another forward, Pedro, is in fine form, scoring
five goals in his last four appearances.
Atletico midfielder Koke has warned his team-
mates not just to focus on FIFA Ballon d'Or
candidate Messi.
"If he plays we have to be careful because he
is the best in the world but Barcelona have
great footballers and we must be aware of
them all," said the midfielder, who scored the
winner in Atletico's 1-0 victory at Malaga last
weekend.
"It will be a very important game because the
top two teams in the league play, (but) it is
just another game and the whole second half
of the season is to come.
"We know that to date it is the most
important game."
Defender Diego Godin is a doubt for Atletico
after picking up a thigh problem against
Valencia in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday,
while Mario Suarez (knee) is also likely to
miss out......
source:soccerway.com

Barca to test Atletico's credentials
Photo Source: AFP

Atletico Madrid's impressive Spanish league
campaign gets the ultimate test this weekend
against co-leaders Barcelona who have Lionel
Messi back from injury.
Messi marked his return from a two-month
layoff with a pair of goals in Barcelona's 4-0
Copa del Rey victory over Getafe on
Wednesday.
Atletico, meanwhile, drew 1-1 at Valencia in
the midweek domestic cup competition that
has been a distraction with Saturday's league
clash looming.
Barcelona and Atletico both have 49 points
from 18 games, while Real Madrid sit third
with 44 points.
Atletico haven't flown so high at this point of
the season since winning the championship in
1996.
"Winning on Saturday will be insignificant if
we don't meet our objectives over the season,"
Atletico midfielder Koke said.
"We've got the entire second half of the
season to go even though we all realise that
up until now this is the most important game
of the season."
Atletico defender Juanfran Torres is available
after having a booking revoked, avoiding a
ban.
For Barca, Messi seems to be back to his
normal self after a torn left hamstring, scoring
one of Wednesday's goals from a typical run
through the defence.
"What I wanted was to get back on the field
and to play. I was very motivated to return,"
Messi said.
Neymar was absent because of a stomach bug
but the Brazil striker should return against
Atletico. Goalkeeper Victor Valdes could also
be back.
With all the attention on Atletico-Barcelona
this weekend, Real Madrid, unbeaten in 13
games, are hopeful of making up ground at
Espanyol on Sunday.
Angel di Maria is available after Madrid
opened and closed a disciplinary case against
the talented Argentina forward over an
awkward on-field gesture.
Di Maria quickly grabbed his crotch as he
came off for Gareth Bale in last weekend's
league victory over Celta Vigo, which led to
accusations that he had directed a rude
gesture toward Madrid's fans or coach Carlo
Ancelotti.
Di Maria had the support of Ancelotti over the
incident, which the player said was blown out
of proportion.
"It was just a natural gesture that any man
would make when he's running. It wasn't
directed at the fans or the coach like is being
said," Di Maria said in a video posted on
Real's website.

Oga this your preview no dey attractive at all o.

This is the most entertaining weekend fixture in Europe and probably the world, yet this is all you could make of it? do something na.

pictures, stats, histories na.

honeric01: Oga this your preview no dey attractive at all o.

This is the most entertaining weekend fixture in Europe and probably the world, yet this is all you could make of it? do something na.

pictures, stats, histories na.

Oga m,u fit put hand for the matter help me Na.

Tactical Preview……
..
It is more or less clear how the game will be
set-up. Atletico will sit back and Barcelona
will have a large portion of the ball.
The team selections will be interesting. With
Lionel Messi back he figures to start the
game. Against Real Madrid, Gerardo Martino
moved Messi to the right, from his usual ‘9’
position, to give him a bit more space. Will
Tata do the same tomorrow?
Here are some tactical points of interest
ahead of tomorrow’s game.
...
Diego Costa drifting to the right, Barcelona’s
left

Just as Messi, Diego Costa will drift. It was a
feature of the sides’ Spanish Super Cup first
leg encounter at the beginning of the season.
Admittedly, this might be less likely now with
Costa Atletico’s top scorer and undisputed
central attacking figure. But, in the modern
game good strikers always look for spaces and
pockets where they can do most damage.
So, just as in the Super Cup, Diego Costa will
pull out to the right-wing and use his height
and his strength to get the better of the left-
back, likely Jordi Alba. He terrorised Alba in
that Super Cup game and Atletico will play
long balls for Costa to chest down or
knockdown to supporting teammates.
It is a get-out ball for Atletico and they will
use it to set-up play in Barcelona’s half, by-
passing the midfield. Costa is a huge factor in
this game, not only with his goals and ability
to create something from nothing, but his
physicality is a big advantage for Atletico,
offensively and defensively.…
..
Villa running into the channels, into Pique
Costa’s strike partner, David Villa, will also be
of interest. He’s having a brilliant season
since moving to the Vicente Calderon from the
Camp Nou.
In the Clásico against Real Madrid earlier this
season Martino switched Gerard Pique and
Javier Mascherano’s usual sides, putting the
Argentine on the right of Barcelona’s central
defensive pairing in order to better deal with
Cristiano Ronaldo’s pace. However, this luxury
isn’t afforded with Atletico playing two
strikers, and with Mascherano having dealt so
well with Costa previously. So, as on a few
occasions in the aforementioned Super Cup
game, Villa will look to make runs into the
channels behind Pique (the slower of the
centrebacks) for the likes of Koke and Arda
Turan to find.
Lionel Messi
Last time the teams met at the Calderon,
Atletico sat extremely deep with two compact
banks, even though they were at home. This
forced Messi to go deeper and deeper to get
the ball where he was rather mercilessly
hounded out of possession. Admittedly, Messi
wasn’t yet fully fit (he was withdrawn at
halftime), and, yes, a healthy Messi can do
anything. But, he prefers to get the ball higher
up the pitch where he can eliminate defenders
one-on-one or play quick one-twos. He is
more dangerous in the final third.
It will be interesting to see how this particular
one pans out.
Barcelona shots from range
Barcelona will have to take shots from range
in order to unsettle Atletico’s defence, which is
the most organised, disciplined unit in La
Liga, if not Europe. They won’t commit out of
their structure. The only way Barça can entice
Atleti’s central defenders forward is by taking
an occasional long-range strike at goal, which
may open small spaces for the nifty passes
Barça like to play in and around the penalty
box.
However, Barcelona generally don’t take long-
range shots at goal and didn’t in the Super
Cup first leg, allowing Atletico’s defence to sit
pretty comfortable, despite Barcelona’s
possession.....

While El Clasicos still garner the headlines
and worldwide attention, it is Barcelona’s
clashes with Madrid’s other major club that
could be the defining matches of this Primera
Division season. With 18 matches of the
campaign gone, Atletico Madrid have an
identical record to Barcelona at the top of La
Liga, with 16 wins and just one defeat. But
that is far from the only reason why the
meeting between the two sides at the Vicente
Calderon on Saturday promises to be such an
intriguing occasion.
Such has been the transformation performed
on Atletico by Diego Simeone, it is hard to
believe that he only just celebrated his second
anniversary with the club. Once a tenacious
midfielder, who represented Ateltico for five
years during two spells, Simeone has
reinvigorated a club that had been bumbling
in its inability to punch its weight for far too
long.
Simeone’s impact was immediate as he got
his team to play with the same intensity with
which he performed as a player. He was then
able to alter a defeatist mindset against
Spain’s big two, particularly their illustrious
neighbors, which had seen them go 25
matches and 13 years since getting the better
of Real Madrid. That was shattered in the
most glorious manner last May when in the
Copa del Rey final, in Los Merengues’ own
Bernabeu stadium, Ateltico came out on top
to lift their first domestic silverware since
Simeone was part of the side that won a
league and cup double in 1996.
This season, Atletico have added new
elements to their play. While their ferocious
appetite without the ball remains as a league-
best 11 goals conceded demonstrates, they
have become more dangerous when in
possession. The intensity is still present, with
quick, incisive attacks built on the ever-
burgeoning relationship between young Spain
international midfielder Koke and the man
who could be Spain’s trump card in the World
Cup, Diego Costa. Meanwhile, Arda Turan and
David Villa provide impressive options
alongside them.
..
When Atletico and Barcelona last met, in the
Spanish Super Cup at the start of the season
, Simeone and Costa showed their tactical
flexibility as the Brazilian-born forward was
deployed wide on the right and caused the
Blaugrana umpteen problems. Atletico were
happy to concede possession, but counter-
attacked with real vigor and, indeed, had the
better chances and were unlucky to lose the
two-legged affair on away goals.
While Atletico are at home, have been more
forward-thinking this season and Costa is the
league’s second highest scorer, the same
tactics could again be utilized. Possesing a
water-tight defense, led by the partnership of
Miranda and Diego Godin, which was in full
evidence in an unspectacular 1-0 win to kick
off 2014 at Malaga last week, Barcelona will
have their work cut out to walk away still top
of La Liga.
Still, after a difficult start to his reign, there
have been more encouraging signs of late for
Simeone’s fellow-Argentine, Gerardo Martino.
While results wise Martino has done
everything that could have been expected in
the first half of the season, he faced much
criticism from the Catalan press for the
perceived move away from the tiki-taka style
that had been so successful in the previous
five years.
Although much of that talk was overblown, it
was hard to ignore that Barcelona had
become less dominant and less pleasing on
the eye. While the team was grappling with
Martino shifting the focus somewhat from the
possession-obsessed philosophy to one where
they are prepared to cede the ball and launch
quicker attacks, it also had to deal with
integrating the different talents of Neymar
while their star man, Lionel Messi, looked off
color.
As it turns out the unsurprising injury that
Messi suffered in November could have been
the best thing for both player and club. In his
absence, Neymar showed that he could take
the mantle, having scored six goals in three
appearances before the festive break. And
fellow-forwards Pedro and Alexis Sanchez ,
who have benefited from Martino’s more direct
approach appear to have gained further
confidence in Messi’s absence, with each
hitting a hat-trick either side of the break.
Cesc Fabregas has impressed up front, too, as
the new year has started with Barcelona
showing signs of their best.
Perhaps the injury may be most beneficial to
Messi himself. Having not looked right since
being rushed back from a muscular problem
last spring, he has hopefully now had the
proper time needed to recover. Certainly he
looked refreshed when making his return
against Getafe on Wednesday when scoring
two goals off the bench, the second a
demonstration of the four-time Ballon d’Or
winner at his quick-footed best.
Martino’s biggest challenge could well be
deciding which three forwards to select. It is
at the other end, though, where Barcelona
could be most tested. For a side that still
controls possession in most matches, the
Catalans give up too many chances, especially
from set-pieces. It is difficult to imagine
Atletico not creating at least a couple of good
opportunities to score on Saturday. And with
Costa in lethal form you wouldn’t bet against
them getting on the score sheet. It will likely
take Barcelona’s attacking players in top form
to emerge with something from what has all
the ingredients of an intense and captivating
matchup..
ibtimes.com

A team at CrossroAd
..
Every so often a team reaches a crossroads;
that is just the nature of the game, especially
at the very top. In fact, this is perhaps the
only constant at the top: questions – are you
still good enough? Can you keep it up? Can
you elevate? Sometimes the answer to these
questions may be as simple as getting a win.
But, often they need deeper introspection.
Barcelona, with their new coach, are at such a
crossroads.
That may seem ludicrous to say. The
Blaugrana are top of La Liga and have been
so since Week 1, extending their stay at the
top to a ridiculous 56 consecutive weeks.
Barça are also through to the Champions
League last 16, still on for a treble. Still, there
has been underlying struggle for new coach
Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino, the target of attacks
from those who see the ruin of the philosophy
perfected by Pep Guardiola and his perfect
generation.
Barça have been good under Tata, but not
great, not Pep’s Barça – and this is the gripe
of the Catalan media and some socios. Yes,
Barcelona are winning, but how?
In the highly ideological environment of
Barcelona this question has obviously heaped
pressure on Martino, his every word judged
and every game critical, because a slip-up is
magnified that much more. Just take the
recent back-to-back losses to Ajax
Amsterdam and Athletic Bilbao. Instantly
there were whispers Martino wasn’t the right
man for the job, that he might even be gone
when the season ends.
So, although tomorrow’s clash with Atletico
Madrid is by no means a title decider (it is too
early for that), the game is a significant
barometer for Barcelona and another
appraisal of what Martino is doing and where
Barça are going.
There are mitigating factors to Barcelona’s
performance and approach this season.
The main one is time.
Under Guardiola Barcelona were at their peak.
It was a perfect storm.
Guardiola, the star pupil of Barcelona deity
Johan Cruyff, found a hungry group in its
prime and nearly all schooled in the arts he
wanted to exalt. All factors were in favour and,
of course, there was Lionel Messi playing at a
level possibly never seen. But, teams have
cycles. Evolution is as necessary as it is
inevitable.
Naturally, the squad is ageing but, above all,
battles have sapped the legs. Xavi, for
example, has averaged over 50 games a
season since 2006/07. The relentless pressing,
the win-the-ball-back in five seconds rule,
which was Barça’s trademark under Guardiola
and a basis of their success has been scaled
down by Martino. Such extreme harrying can
only be sustained by the legs for so long.
Martino would have noticed too that Barça
were starting to tire towards the end of
campaigns and that last season ended with
key players such as Messi and Sergio
Busquets injured and others like Xavi visibly
fatigued.
But, even Guardiola had begun to forestall the
team’s decline, at least physically, which had
started to result in more goals conceded and
the decrease in variation offensively.
Guardiola’s dabbling with the 3-4-3 system
was as much an attempt to bring more
solidity at the back, especially against athletic
teams on the break, as it was a Pep
innovation.
More worryingly, despite their wealth of
quality, by the end of last season under Tito
Vilanova Barcelona had become almost
functional, not magical, with signs of an over-
reliance on Messi.
.
Messi's Goals
Season
Messi’s La Liga Goals
Total Team Goals La Liga 
% Team Goals Scored
2012/13
46
115
40.00%
2011/12
50
114
43.86%
2010/11
31
95
32.63%
2009/10
34
98
34.69%
Perhaps this is partly natural; when someone
scores 100 league goals in just over seasons,
to lean on them. Nevertheless, all their ills –
the tiredness, lack of variety and power – were
exposed in the now infamous Champions
League semi-final defeat to Bayern Munich
last May prompting a summer discussion
about Barcelona’s style and philosophy.
It wasn’t that Barça were bad, but tweaks had
to be made to the system… to freshen it up a
bit.
bsports.com

Current League Position:
FcBarcelona-1st
Athletic Madrid-2nd
.
Last Five Matches:
FcBarcelona-WWWWW
Athletico Madrid-WWWWD
.
Stat:
Athletico Madrid have not won FcBarcelona in their last six meetings Across all competitions...
Diego Costa has scored an astonishing 19goAls in 17 league matches..
Alexis Sanchez and Pedro are FcBarcelonA's joint league highest goal scorers,with 11goals Apiece..
Cesc Fabregas tops the assist table on 10assists while Athletico's Koke is on 8assists...

Finally,Mods please move this thread to frontpage...........