₦airaland Forum

Team news:
FcBarcelona have no injury worries as all their 23 players are fit and proper for the game ahead, Leaving the Coach with a Strong squad to choose from..
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The following are The injured Bayern Munich players and expected date of return:
Franck Ribéry, Ankle, Day-to-day (could play the second leg)
Arjen Robben:Left calf muscle tear, (Out for Season)
David Alaba:Left knee ligament tear,(Late May)
Holger Badstuber, Left thigh muscle tear,( Out for Season)
Robert Lewandowski:Broken jaw and nose + concussion(Unclear)..
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The trio of Lionel Messi,Luis Suarez and Neymar have scored a whooping 108 goals between them,making them the most potent lethal forwards in Europe at the moment!!
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FORM GUIDE:
FcBarcelona have scored 14 times in their last two matches,with Luis grabbing a brace and a hat trick apiece.
Bayern have lost their last two matches,one in the semifinal of their German cup and one against Bayern Leverkusen in the Bundesliga..(N:B- Bayern have been crowned the Winners of the Bundesliga and therefore the loss against Leverkusen is not a true test or show of form!!)..
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REFEREE:

This is the tie that the footballing world has been looking forward to for years; FCBarcelona pitted against their former and most successful manager, Pep Guardiola, as the Blaugrana prepare to take on Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. In some respects, this would have been the ideal final, between arguably the two best club sides in the world, but equally, it works just as well as a two-legged affair. That way, we get to see Guardiola back at the Camp Nou, and Barcelona back in Bavaria, attempting to avenge the ghosts of their past.And fittingly for this clash of the titans, UEFA have chosen to appoint the best referee in the world to mediate the first-leg, as Italian whistle-blower, Nicola Rizzoli will take charge on Wednesday at the Camp Nou. That's a good omen, right?Well, maybe not.Anyone paying close attention will remember that Rizzlo also took charge of the2014 FIFA World Cupfinal between Germany and Argentina, in which the former claimed victory courtesy of a goal from Bayern Munich attacking midfielder, Mario Gotze. That match will be remembered by some of course for the famous non-call on Bayern keeper, Manuel Neuer, who escaped any sanction for his brutal attack on Argentina forward, Gonzalo Higuain.Rizzoli has also taken charge of one FC Barcelona match already this season, the group stage encounter with Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes -- the same match that Barcelona slumped to a 2-3 defeat. Going further back, Rizzoli was also the referee for our 1-2 defeat at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal, in which he disallowed a perfectly legal goal fromLionelMessi, erroneously claiming the Argentine superstar was offside.Wherever Rizzoli goes, bad luck for Barcelona and their players seems to follow, but maybe all that will change on Wednesday...

The four time European champions take on their nemesis in the form of Bayern Munich, five time European champions..
More Preview coming up!!
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History of FC Bayern vs FC Barcelona

1995-1996 UEFA Cup Semifinals FC Bayern 4-3 FC Barcelona (on aggregate)
The very first meeting in Europe between these two sides came in a competition which is definitely not on top of Uli Hoeness' priorities in the UEFA Cup. The first ever encounter took place in Munich's Olympiastadion. Barcelona gave a very good account of themselves. Oscar Garcia scored in the 15th minute to give Barcelona an away goal but Bayern, shortly after the second half began, turned it around through goals from Marcel Witeczek and Mehmet Scholl. A Barcelona side with Pep Guardiola was not done though. Gheorghe Hagi scored in the 77th minute. Barcelona left with two away goals at 2-2; Bayern had a tough task. They had to turn the tie around.But under Otto Rehhagel, they knew how to do just that. Markus Babbel's goal in the first half in Catalonia gave Bayern the lead. Another goal was not to come till after the 80th minute when Witeczek scored Bayern's second. Ivan De la Pena's goal one minute before the end of the game for Barca set up a nervy finish but Bayern saw it through and went on to hammer Bordeaux in the two-legged final and lift the Cup. After the game, Rehhagel could not help but say "This is a historic win for Bayern and a historic day for me...
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."1998-1999 UEFA Champions League Group stages
One of Bayern's historic teams played in the late 90's and early 2000's. That golden generation topped a group including Manchester United, Barcelona and Brondby in the group stages of the 1998-99 UEFA Champions League. In the first meeting at the Olympiastadion, Bayern took care of business thanks to a Stefan Effenberg strike on the stroke of half time. In Camp Nou, Giovanni fired in from the spot about half an hour into the match.Louis Van Gaal's Barcelona were going to be rather disappointed by the end though. This is because Alex Zickler scored a few minutes after play resumed in the second half. An 87th minute strike from Hasan Salihamidzic handed Bayern all three points. Bayern's future coach moaned a bit after the match about the nature of the goals: "They scored two lucky goals, which were both deflections.
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"2008-09 UEFA Champions League quarter finals Bayern 1-5 Barcelona (on aggregate)

The Bayern fans were not in the best of moods having experienced hammerings that season already, with a 5-2 drumming against Werder Bremen sticking out at this point. Injuries and an aging squad led by a rookie coach gave everyone very little to hope for and within the first forty-five minutes, the tie was over. Two goals by a magical Lionel Messi coupled with strikes from the wily Samuel Eto'o and the Arsenal legend Thierry Henry sent Bayern crashing out.After the match, our captain Mark Van Bommel spoke whatwas on everyone's minds: "We were fortunate that the score was only 4-0 because we were made to look like amateurs." The gap between Bayern and European football's elites was painfully obvious that night and perhaps led to the changes in 2009-10. Meanwhile, Jürgen Klinsmann (whose star player was busy smiling and changing jerseys with Henry) stated the obvious. "It is quite possible we played against the future champions of Europe."Franck Ribery helped Bayern get one back in the second half of the second leg at the Allianz Arena but Barcelona were simply playing out the tie. A Seydou Keita strike saw them level the match on the night and send Bayern crashing out in painful fashion. Four years later, Bayern would repay the favor.
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2012-13 UEFA Champions League Semifinals FC Bayern 7-0 Barcelona (on aggregate)

In what remains as one of Europe's biggest shocks as well as one of the most one sided semifinals in history, Bayern put their foot down to show the world what they can do under Jupp Heynckes. Nobody had expected such a finish considering that Bayern had had their close brushes, only getting through against Arsenal via away goals in the Round of 16 for example. A Thomas Müller goal in the first half started the party. Mario Gomez got a chance to play in place of the starter Mario Mandzukic and scored early in the second half from close range. Arjen Robben brushed past Jordi Alba and scored the third while Müller helped himself to his second of the night and Bayern's fourth.In the second leg in the Camp Nou, Bayern did not give Barcelona much breathing room. Adjusting their tactics to counteract the opponents' as they had done all season long, they produced a scintillating display in the second half. Robben scored early in the second half. Gerard Pique put the ball into his own net and Müller added one for good measure to seal a 0-3 victory and a 7-0 victory on aggregate. That score remains the largest margin of victory in a UEFA Champions League semifinal in history. Pique added after the game "When another side is so much better than you, there isn't any option except to congratulate them".On a side note, the match was the last in which Tito Vilanova stood on the sidelines in a European night.We all know how the remainder of that story goes. Bayern went on to contest a closely fought dramatic final against Borussia Dortmund and win their fifth title.When these two sides have met previously, the winner of the tie has gone on to win the UEFA Champions League. While, in light of the injury list and Barcelona's form, beating the Spanish giants is a tough ask for Bayern, they can certainly dream after looking back on the fixtures from two years ago. Also, Müller might hand them a few tips if they need them. FCB vs FCB should provide more fireworks. The first leg takes place in Spain on Wednesday.*
Thanks to UEFA.com

dmcdad:
Exactly! He wanted to play with Messi! I bet you. if he had gone to Madrid, he wouldn't have been this loyal to Ronaldo the same way he has been to Messi.

When Neymar was pledging his loyalty to Messi at several points in time last season, some thought it was just a gimmick to somehow dethrone Messi. Now we are seeing that all he said then were said outta sincerity of heart. He loves Messi and is entirely loyal to Messi. Why would Messi not take him close then? It's only normal that Messi help him grow to become the star that he is poised to be.

And sometimes, we easily forget who was the pace-setter for Messi. The mighty Ronaldinho! One of the most selfless players I have ever seen. It is only right that he did same to Ney. Obviously Barça bought Neymar to take the mantle from Messi when the right time comes. And who else will show him the way to go if not the same Messi?

Word!!

dmcdad:
I get your point. But then, that is what I don't like about Ronaldo. "The Obsession".

You and I know very well that Ronaldo would rather lose a game 4-3, with him scoring a hatrick. Messi would rather win the game without scoring. We have seen it times without number.

Besides, Messi is reinventing himself to a hybrid of Xavi+Messi. Sure, it would mean he doesn't score as much as he does in the past. But it would be for the good of the team. Moreso now that we have better goal scorers than in previous years. Which is something we lacked for some years before the arrivals of Ney and Suarez.

Exactly...
Messi knows that his burden has been lifted a bit by players who can score.....especially, Suarez!!
Come next season, Suarez might win the pichichi...
If not for C.Ronaldo,the three FIFA Balon d'or finalists for this year would have been our front three..No competition!!

ddippset:
I wasn't pleased when he handed the ball to neymar. For goodness sake he is fighting for the pichichi. Neymar isn't fighting for anything, neymar musnt score in every game must he? Person go die if he nor score? Trust me, football and the world nowadays lack respect for morality. Fast forward 2 months from now everybody remembers who won the pichichi, none remembers who was generous on the pitch, or had team spirit. Messi should have taken the penalty, infact neymar should have rejected it.

At this point in time,its funny how only u think Messi needs the pichichi to be relevant!!
That act he did tells you that he is not bothered about winning a pichichi but wants everyone in the team to be happy and carried along..Mind you,Messi is the reason Neymar came to Barca!!

Tval:
So, how is Barcelona beating Bayern this Tuesday? I want a big win, bayern tend to be dangerous playing at alianz arena. A big win at Nou Camp gives Barca hope of qualifying.

Wednesday!!

bdchange:
How does that picx depict a pastor in a prayer mode? I tire for some nairalanders ooo

Read the topic again..Maybe,u will understand it better this time!!

Ezedon:
May be the lady is having a breast cancer

The pastor dey find him car key!

allanphash7:
Imagine th bwest dat am seeing in this pinshure




It looks big, tempted to touch and will be so nourishing in ones body



If i were the pastor all i will do is to grab to two bwest



Lobatan

You dey vex o bro!!

Imagine a pastor rubbing his hand all over the body of a church member he is supposed to be praying for...Would this kind of pastor also make heaven?

Krasid:
I admire Messi's genorosity, but hope he doesn't regret it when CR scores a hat trick tonight.

We are watching!!

Hatrick.......
Suarez Goaaaaaaaaaaal!!
Suarez son score his first barca hatrick oooooo....
It can't get any better than this!!
Cordoba 0 - 8 FcBarcelona.

Neymar pk..
Goaaaaaaaaaaaaal!!
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Abeg eeh,Messi na world best jare....
Neymar na 2nd World best!!

Goaaaaaaaaaall
messiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!

Chanchit:
. Today market get too much profit o, na so cordoba swim enter relegation.

na so......

Austeenx:
Haha! I only asked for a brace from Messi.

No wahala shaa..
E dey preserve am for Bayern..

Austeenx:
.

Baba, no be me oh.

na u oooo.
See even Pique son score!!
Goaaaaaaaaaaaal!!

Austeenx:
Infact, Neymar shouldn't score again.
I need a Messi brace.

E be like say na u do Neymar this witch oooo.
See open post!!

See Neymar oooooo....

Goaaaaaaaaaal..
Suarez!!

dmcdad:
I no go lie... Fear don dey catch me oooo

At least you have rest of mind now..
Goaaaaaaaaaaaaaal..
Messsssssssi!!

Secondhalf kicks off!!

funkyjms:
Just when I was fuming over Rakitic and Suarez's performance, both delivered.
I still wonder why we couldn't keep possession just for a minute in Cordoba's half.

Those guys tried..I give it to them..Even Madrid suffered in their hands..C,Ronaldo was frustrated to the extent that he got booked for red card...E no easy!!

MODAY1Ali:
I swear. Thought this would be one of those barca games in which we had 70% possession, 20 shots on goal, not score and then draw or lose.

As in ehhhh..
Imagine that kind goal way messi dribble 3 players and missed a one on one with goalkeeper na...

Now my mind is at ease..
See this Cordoba wan come cause heartache for person oooo!!
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Halftime.
Cordoba Cf 0 - 2 FcBarcelona

Goaaaaaaaaaaal!!

Suareeeeeeerz

Rakiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitic!!

Goaaaaaaaaaaaaal!

Wait ooo,how are this people in the 20th position?