Sporting 0-1 Barcelona

La Liga -Adriano’s goal at El Molinón meant that Guardiola’s team set another Spanish League record, chalking up the 24th away game on the run in which they have scored.

Barça equalled the league record at Mestalla, which was previously held by Real Madrid since 1953, when they scored in every away game from week 27 in the 1950/51 season until week 12 in the 1952/53 campaign, recording 6 wins, 7 draws and 10 defeats. Now, in Gijon, Barça have beaten that record.

Barça collected three points courtesy of a 1-0 win over Sporting Gijon at El Molinon, but the champions were far from their best.

A deflected effort from Adriano nestled into the corner early on after Xavi’s thunderous long-range drive had rebounded off the post, and although Pep Guardiola’s side never looked in danger, they struggled to further break down a well-drilled home side.

Barça were comfortable in the end, and move to the top of the table heading into the international break, with 14 points – the same total as Levante, who beat Betis earlier on Sunday.

To whom asking about Abidal injury: Eric Abidal suffered a hamstring strain and will be out for between seven and ten days .

 The French international defender picked up the injury on 54 minutes during the game and after coming off, club doctors diagnosed a strain in his left thigh.

Abidal will be out for between seven and ten days, during which the league is on hold for international games.

FCBarcelona Suffering

FC Barcelona have suffered another injury setback with the news that midfielder Cesc Fabrigas has suffered a muscle injury in his right leg.

Fabrigas’ injury is the fifth serious injury suffered by a Barca player this season. Gerard Pique has just returned after pulling a muscle in the Spanish Supercup, while Andres Iniesta and Alexis Sanchez also have hamstring problems, while winger Ibrahima Affelay will undergo an injury this Monday after damaging knee ligaments.

Iniesta has just returned to training with the squad and should be fit when Barca face Racing on October 15.

Pep Guardiola has picked 18 players for the tricky match on Sunday evening in Gijón where Barcelona only drew last season (1-1).

The list includes captain Carles Puyol(recovering from a rib injury sustained against Borisov midweek), who is back working with the squad and Barça B’s Isaac Cuenca.

 

barca injuries suffering

Barça lose Xavi for two weeks

FC Barcelona have suffered another blow with the news that key midfielder Xavi will be sidelined for around 15 days through injury.

The Spain international was substituted towards the end of Sunday night’s 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid and tests on Monday revealed a thigh problem which, according to the Barca website, is likely to keep him out for around two weeks.

Losing Xavi is a further setback for Barca, who also saw midfielder Seydou Keita limp out of the Atletico match after just five minutes with a hamstring injury that will see him missing for up to four weeks.

“Keita Echography was performed today on Mali international Keita, and it has been confirmed that he has ruptured semimembranosus fibres in this right thigh. He will be sidelined for the next 3 or 4 weeks”.

Yaya Toure was already missing through injury, while another midfielder, Sergio Busquets, picked up a yellow card at the Vicente Calderon that means he will now have to serve a suspension.

With Keita and Touré injured and Sergio Busquets suspended, Barça’s woes have now been transferred from defence to midfield. Of the regular starters, only Iniesta is certain to be available for the game with Racing Santander.

Barca face league matches against Racing Santander, Malaga and Almeria in the next three weeks, as well as the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Stuttgart.

Caceres

Juventus want to keep Caceres

According to Footballpress.net,

Martin Caceres agent Daniel Fonseca said: “Caceres is fine at Juve and wishes to remain. he’s  at Juventus on loan from Barcelona until the end of the season. I really believe that the Bianconeri will keep him and sign him on a permanent basis in June “.

FIFA World Player

Lionel Messi Wins FIFA World Player  2009

Leo Messi has been voted FIFA World Player of the year at a ceremony in Zurich, thereby rounding off a spectacular year of team and individual honors.
On Monday afternoon Leo Messi was confirmed as the best player in the World 2009. At a gala event in Zurich Messi wins ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi, Kaká and Iniesta. The votes were cast by the managers and captains of the national teams.

Barça takes three of five

FC Barcelona was very much the star of the show with no fewer than three of the five finalists playing for the Club. Messi, Xavi and Iniesta flew to Zurich from Kuwait and Messi was joined by his parents at the ceremony.

Lionel Messi has capped a sensational 12 months in Barcelona colours by being crowned FIFA World Player Of The Year.

Messi, who described his presence at the FIFA Gala as “the culmination of a year that cannot be improved upon”, has managed to indeed go one better, sealing the only title still evading him.

The final five, with their voting points:

Player	Club	Country	Points
Lionel Messi			1,073
Cristiano Ronaldo	/		352
Xavi			196
Kaka	/		190
Andres Iniesta			134

FCBarcelona News

Five hundred match with FCBarcelona

Xavi Hernandez .. FCBarcelona and National Team midfielder, Became the second player in history to run 500 games with the Catalans, after his team beat Atlante 3-1 on Wednesday in the semi-finals of World Cup football in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Xavi (29 years) Became the second player to win the honor, following defender Miguel (548 games) between 1973 and 1989, after 11 years with European champions Spain and the present.

Xavi joined to the Academy of Barcelona in 1991 aged 11 years and started his career with the first team in 1998 against Real Mallorca in the Super Cup competition.

After 11 years, Xavi balanced  333 league games (second in order for the club’s players), 100 games in the Champions League (first place in the history of the club), scoring 49 goals with Barcelona.

Since its beginnings under the supervision of Dutch coach Louis van Gaal, Xavi won the confidence of all the trainers who train Twalua Barcelona, and played an influential role in midfield.

Xavi has become one of the symbols of FCBarcelona, reflecting the philosophy of team based on the possession of the ball, review and attacking play.

After winning the Champions League twice, starring Spain 4 times, the Cup of Spain, the Spanish Super Cup and European Super Cup, the world championship for clubs the only missing treasury for the player,

On a personal level, Xavi in the list of final candidates for the best player in the world (FIFA) for the year 2008, and has been named the best midfielder in the Champions League 2009, the 3rd  in  Golden Globe Award in 2009, and one of the five candidates for best player in the world (FIFA) 2009.

Iniesta ruled out for two weeks

Andrés Iniesta will miss the final of the FIFA World Club Cup after it was revealed that his muscle injury would keep him out of action for at least two weeks.

FC Barcelona’s medical team released a statement in Abu Dhabi that read: “The tests carried out this afternoon confirm that the player has suffered a muscle tear in his left leg.”

The midfielder suffered the blow in the game against Atlante in midweek and had to be substituted for Bojan Krkic. At the end of the game it was felt that he may have a chance of recovering in time to appear in the final, but that has now been ruled out.

Best player.. Despite being unable to play in the game against Estudiantes, Iniesta will be able to attend the FIFA World Player of the Year gala in Zurich, Switzerland on Monday. He is one of the five nominations for the award.

Champions League draw on Friday 18,2009

FC Barcelona will discover who they are to play in the first knockout round of this season’s Champions League on Friday when the draw is made in Switzerland.

Barcelona derby

late injury against Dynamo Kiev

After scoring the 2-1 winning goal  against Dynamo Kiev in the 86th minute on Wednesday before being helped off the field with a right ankle injury picked up in the closing moments from an opponent’s challenge.

Lionel Messi will miss Barcelona’s derby match against Espanyol on Saturday after the Golden Ball winner sustained an ankle injury.

Furthermore, FCBarcelona’s official website states that Messi’s involvement in the FIFA Club World Cup is now in jeopardy as well. The Blaugrana are set to face either Atlante of Mexico or New Zealand’s Auckland City in the semi-final on Wednesday, December 16th.

This is Messi’s second spell on the sidelines so far in 2009-10. The 22-year-old previously missed a clash against Inter due to a thigh injury sustained away to Athletic Bilbao.

The Spanish and European champions hold a five-point advantage over Real Madrid in the domestic standings.

Next Page »