12 Points Clear

We are now leading Real Madrid by 12 points. FC Barcelona beat Real Madrid last night at the Camp Nou, 2-0, with two late goals from Eto'o and Messi. The win is a big step for us closer to the Liga title even if there's still a lot of games to be played. Even if Real Madrid had a good game, it's still a bad sign for them, because they it was their 4th loss in 5 league games and may drop to &th palce if Atletico de Madrid and Deportivo La Coruna win their respective games tonight. Another problem for them, actually it's Juande Ramos' problem, is not only Barca increased their lead against them, also Valencia, and maybe Villareal and Sevilla too if the win tonight.

Barca's new task is to defeat and have some revenge to Villareal, revenge because they beat us last season both home and away. Like us, Villareal, as of writing, has suffered only one defeat, against Real Vallodolid, 0-3. Hope we win next Sunday's match and our rivals to lose points so we can extend our lead and have a happy holidays. This, maybe, is my last post for he year so I wanna greet you guys,


MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR!!!

El Clasico Preview:Predictions

It's the biggest match of the season in Spain this weekend and it's fair to say that El Clásico this year is about a lot more than just on the pitch events. Barcelona are undoubtedly the in-form side in La Liga and whilst Real Madrid appeared to be bracing themselves for a humiliating defeat this time last week, with former coach Bernd Schuster saying victory was impossible, the dynamics appeared to have changed. Most significantly, Los Blancos have done a swift change around in the dug out, with Juande Ramos coming in to replace Schuster on Tuesday. It is not yet known how this shock move will affect the ailing defending champions but there is no doubt that it has thrown a spanner in the works. Along with the appointment of Ramos, Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, has admitted that the growing pressure on his side does worry him. Laporta said the fact that everyone expects them to win heavily is concerning, and he hopes his players manage to keep their feet on the ground. Whatever happens it is sure to be a thrilling contest and with just a few days to go before the big kick-off, the Goal.com Spanish football team reveal who they think will come out on top, and how they expect the game to unfold.

THE PREDICTIONS

Barcelona 3-0 Real Madrid: Real Madrid might have a new coach but at the end of the day they haven't got any new players and are up against the form side in Spain, if not Europe. Barcelona simply blew Valencia away last weekend and whilst Juande Ramos might be able to instil some confidence in the Madrid team he won't have enough time to help them get anything other than a respectable loss, maybe... -- James Walker-Roberts

Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid: As Bernd Schuster said, winning at the Camp Nou is "impossible". I don't feel that Real Madrid can win on Saturday but I don't subscribe to the idea that they would be mauled by Barcelona. It's arguably the biggest match on the planet and the Real players should know how to sustain some pride. Although it is tempting to suggest that Barca would win it, I would rather opt for a scoring draw, a 2-2, as Real are certain to concede. -- Subhankar Mondal

Barcelona 3-1 Real Madrid: Juande Ramos' arrival has meant that Real Madrid will go into the game with a slightly different outlook, but Barcelona will not and when they are on song at home then they have been unbeatable this season. The game could hinge on an early goal with frustration growing if Pep Guardiola's side do not score qucikly, but the strength of the hosts, the injuries and suspensions of the visitors and a baying home crowd will see Barça come out on top. Madrid will make it more difficult than perhaps it would have been under Schuster but they were not outstanding against Zenit and the nerves are clearly still there and will be tested by a hyped up Blaugrana side. - Lucas Brown

Barcelona 4-1 Real Madrid: Despite the arrival of Juande Ramos, Barcelona will win the match at a canter becuase Real Madrid cannot defend. Cannavaro is showing his age, as is Michel Salgado, while Marcelo is fast becoming a terrible liability at left back. Diarra is out so will be unable to screen the back four and as for Iker Casillas, he is argubly going through the difficult period of form in his career. On the flip side, no side in Europe have scored more goals than the Blaugrana. It is impossible to see any other result than a potentially title-clinching victory for Pep Guardiola's side. -- Paul Macdonald

Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid: While past history has shown us that current form is often irrelevant ahead of El Clasico, it is hard to remember a time when there was such a gaping gulf between the two sides. At the moment, Real Madrid are the embodiment of Murphy's Law: whatever can go wrong, will go wrong, at the worst possible time, and in the worst possible way. The "new manager" effect can not be entirely dismissed, but Barca are still smarting from the guard of honour they had to form before their bitter rivals last year, and that should be enough to inspire them on to another famous "manita." -- Arjun Miglani

Barcelona 3-1 Real Madrid: Juande Ramos brings to the table something Schuster could not: tactical prowess. Barça have been scoring at will this season and the new Madrid manager is well aware of it. He will adjust his formation accordingly in an effort to challenge Messi, Eto'o, Alves, Henry, and Xavi to find the space necessary to work. The strategic change will not be enough, but the massacre would be worse in a classic Schuster formation. Robben's pace and dribbling ability will be sorely missed in relieving the pressure on the Merengue defence. -- Cyrus C. Malek

Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid: If you told me six days ago that Real Madrid would get walloped by Barcelona at the Camp Nou, I would have believed you. But after the turn of events on Tuesday and after watching Madrid's game against Zenit on Wednesday, not anymore.This is a very different Madrid side under Juande. Ofcourse, he would not have had much time to make drastic improvements but all he needed to do was make a few tweaks. You could see in Schuster's final few games that he and the players were simply trying too hard. But against Zenit, Madrid looked so effortless and imperious. They defended cohesively, they attacked with purpose and they moved the ball around with confidence. Obviously, Barca will still be the rampant Barca but Los Blancos stand a better chance of getting at least a draw now than they did a week ago. -- KS Leong

Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid: A new coach often brings a sense of liberation and determination that can make a team feel invincible in the short-term. Real Madrid were outstanding against a jaded Zenit side, and even though it was Barcelona's second string that lost at home to Shakhtar Donetsk, they broke their unbeaten streak at the worst possible time. Though the injuries and suspensions for los Blancos will make matters difficult, the dogged defending Juande Ramos has drilled into them already could see them pinch the unlikeliest of victories... -- Sulmaan Ahmad

Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid: Those who know about the Clasico know that it's always different. Form and tactics rarely matter, and it's purely down to motivation and passion. Still, Madrid are in a slump due to the plague of injuries and abscences, whereas Barca are going through their best patch of form over the past three years. It will be a close fought battle by two very brave sides. All the factors are in Barca's favor, but they rarely matter. -- Feras Saad

Barcelona 1-1 Real Madrid: With so much at stake Real Madrid are likely to play a cagey game: this, coupled with the "new manager bounce" should see them able to pick up a point. That said it's very likely that Barcelona will dominate possession and chances. -- Ewan Macdonald

courtesy:goal.com

My Prediction:

I think the outcome of the match is 3-0 for Barca, with 2 goals from Eto'o and and a goal from Messi or Henry. Even if we lost our unbeaten streak last Tuesday, we all know that second-string players and reserves played.

I know that Real Madrid have a new coach, and just recently beat Zenit St. Petersburg, but they have a bad form on Liga and of course even if they said that they feel no pressure because the pressure is on us the 98, 000 fans inside the Camp Nou will make them feel pressure and fright.

Btw I would take any score as long as Barca wins. Hope we win.

El Clasico Preview:Key Battles

There's more to El Clasico than just a game of football. It is a match comprised of multiple battles between the Castellano and Catalan culture. Tempers run high and passion dominates the field of play. This encounter will be no different, as each player will have a counter-part on the pitch, which is destined to produce a marvel of footballing showdowns.

Samuel Eto'o vs Fabio Cannavaro
Arguably the best striker in the world comes against one of the best defenders of modern day football. This games means more to Eto'o than a mere three points; it's pulling one over his former club.Cannavaro has strict instructions to stay back and use his vast experience to stop Eto'o from finding the net - doing whatever it takes.

Xavi Hernandez vs Fernando Gago
Gago is out to prove that he is more than just "The New Redondo". His job will be to close down Xavi and stop him from creating any chances and dictating the midfield. Impossible? Think again, as Gago completely overshadowed the Spanish mastermind the last time these two sides met. A lot has changed since then though, and this one could turn out to be very interesting...
Iker Casillas vs Leo Messi
The clash of the titans, without a word of doubt. Messi is likely to crack through Madrid's defence, and the only man standing in his way will be Iker Casillas. The Madrid goalkeeper has the harder job this time; he'll be jumping from corner to corner and rushing forward in an attempt to keep his net squeaky clean. The winner of this showdown could very well be the winner of the game.

Gonzalo Higuain vs Rafael Marquez
Rafa Marquez has to do everything to stop "Pipita". Higuain's pace can be devastating when he's on the break, and his low, powerful drives are rarely off target. Marquez will have the upper-hand in the air, but will be given a throbbing headache by Higuain when the ball is on the ground.

Guti vs Yaya Toure
The towering defensive midfielder is a monster when he wants to be. Guti can be a handful to deal with though, as his through balls are very tricky to anticipate. Toure has already won the physical battle, but the tactical victory is up for grabs.

Sergio Ramos vs Barca Fans
98,000 vs 1. The die-hard Barca fans, known as the cules, have always had an unexplained hatred toward the young Madrid stopper. Last year, they booed him whenever he had the ball and gave him an absolute nightmare when he surged forward. It will be hard for Ramos, who has the already lost the battle in terms of numbers. Still, if Ramos manages to at least find the net, he'll be the one taking the spoils home; regardless of what the end result turns out to be.

Feras Saad, Goal.com

Pick Your Choice

Barca will meet either Chelsea, Arsenal, Inter or Lyon on the first knock-out round of the CL. It's because the other four teams in the pot 2 are Sporting, whom we met at the group stage, so they can't meet us. The other three our Real Madrid, Villareal and Atletico which are also from Spain so not them also. I fancy facing Arsenal, not just because it'll be a rematch of Paris 2006, but i'll be also Henry, Hleb and Sylvinho against their former team. And we can also see Cesc Fabregas in action at Camp Nou. But in terms of progressing to the next round I'd pick Lyon, because of the four teams they are not as strong, eventhough Inter has a bad reputation in European competition.

The draw will be on December 19, 2008. The first leg will take place on February 24/25, 2009, while thr returning leg will be on March 10/11, 2009.

Is This For Real?

Am I dreaming? I can't believe that Barca is performing like this. Earlier in the season, some said that we will still have the same season like last year, no trophies, the "crisis" will continue. After we started winning some said that we can't big teams. But come on we beat Atletico, 6-1, Sevilla, 0-3, and just this Saturday, Valenicia, 4-0. Now the only thing we need is to thrash Real Madrid. Although we are almost assured of three points because they are injury-struck and obviously their confidence are very low. We are already through to the next stage in the CL, as we won our group, and the match against Shakhtar tonight is just formality. As Pep rested 8 first team players, and try to give a chance for our second-string players and four reserves. We are also through to next round of Copa del Rey, unlike Real, which we are going to meet Atletico, who are the only threat remaining.

This team is really different last season. Obviously Rijkaard, Ronaldinho and Deco are gone. With Pep, Hleb and Dani Alves replacing them. But just the chemistry in our matches, the team spirit is also very high and so as the team confidence. And one more thing we are performing very much better than last term.

It's nice to be back. And it's good to see that Joan Laporta is doing some charity event in that MÉS project with Nike, and ACNUR (UNHCR).