петак, 12. фебруар 2010.

Defensive worries for Barca

Barcelona kept the five-point advantage over Los Merengues with the hard-fought win over Getafe but the Catalans now face a very difficult task at Vicente Calderon, where they have lost last two games, especially since the injury problems are mounting. One could be fooled to think that this team don’t need defenders with such strong midfield and attack but things are not what they seem and Pep Guardiola faces a major selection headache.

Dani Alves and Yaya Toure will miss next two weeks of action after picking up injuries in the Getafe game, while Eric Abidal tore his muscle in the training session and he is ruled out for two months. With Gerard Pique and Rafa Marquez suspended for the Atletico clash having been sent off against Getafe, Pep Guardiola is praying for Carles Puyol to recover in time for the weekend’s game in order to create a defensive partnership with Gaby Milito. With Dmytro Chygrynskiy also out of action, Maxwell is the only other fit senior defender, which means the boss will have to pull something out of a hat in order to put together a decent back four against Atletico.

This is already looking like a key game of the season for Barcelona as everyone expects them to slip at Vicente Calderon after the numerous injuries to their defenders and should that happen, Real would close the gap to two or three points. If Barcelona win, they will show everyone the team do not depend on one or two players and that is definitely the biggest quality of this side. Atletico Madrid are not the sort of opponent that should make the champions worry regardless of the Forlan-Aguero partnership, since Los Colchoneros cannot make anything happen if they don’t win the midfield battle, which looks like an impossible task.

On the other hand, Atletico’s defence is non-existent this season, as witnessed by their record of 34 conceded goals in 21 league games and you can imagine what Messi, Ibrahimovic and Iniesta will do to them. When you look at the game from this perspective, it looks as though the Catalans won’t have big problems in this match regardless of all the absentees. Considering the way Barca have been playing lately and the five-point cushion at the top, I really don’t see how Real would be able to close the gap in the remained of the season and with Betfair paying 1.39 on Barcelona to win the Primera, this looks like the right time to take the betting odds before they drop even further.