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.
Atletico Madrid 2-1 Barcelona
Barça lose unbeaten recored in La Liga on Sunday
FC Barcelona were beaten for the first time in the league this season by Atlético de Madrid on Sunday evening after Diego Forlán and Simão Sabrosa netted for the hosts in the Vicente Calderón.
Barcelona suffered its first league defeat of the season.
Atletico’s Jose Antonio Reyes dribbled past two men before sending a long pass through for Diego Forlan, who shot first time past Victor Valdes in the 10th minute.
Simao Sabrosa scored Atletico’s second when he curled a freekick into the right-hand corner of the net in the 23rd minute, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic volleyed in unmarked at the far post from a Barcelona corner just four minutes later.
Barcelona remains top, on 55 points from 22 matches, but Real Madrid, which beat Xerez 3-0 on Saturday, is only two points behind. Atletico is 11th on 27 points.
Barcelona Beats Getafe
Barcelona 2-1 Getafe
Barça showed they know how to fight to a win tonight, beating Getafe 2-1 with goals from Messi and Xavi, despite playing more than an hour with just 10 men after Pique was sent off on 25 minutes and finishing with 9 after Marquez also saw red.
9-man Barcelona came out 2-1 winners against Getafe at the Camp Nou through goals from Lionel Messi and Xavi. Roberto Soldado scored a late penalty, but it was no more than a consolation goal.
Messi celebrate his goal against Getafe
Lionel Messi was in scintillating form as he scored a goal and set up another to help 10-man Barcelona beat Getafe 2-1 in the Spanish league on Saturday.
Messi scored his 16th league goal of the season in the sixth minute, curling in a shot with his left foot after Yaya Toure had set him up following a corner.
In the 67th, the Argentina forward dribbled from the halfway line into the goalkeeper’s area before laying the ball on for Xavi Hernandez to score.
Roberto Soldado scored for Getafe with an injury-time penalty after Rafael Marquez was sent off for bringing down Kepa Blanco.
The result sends Barcelona eight points clear at the top with 55 points. Real Madrid, second on 47, plays Espanyol later. Third-place Valencia beat Valladolid 2-0 earlier to reach 42 points.
“It was an unusual game, we were a man down from the first half onward,” said Barcelona’s Gabriel Milito. “But we’re happy with the result, despite the penalty at the end.”
Messi nearly scored again in the 16th when he managed to control the ball yet could only manage a weak shot.
Two minutes later he threatened yet again after swapping passes with Maxwell and then Zlatan Ibrahimovic, although goalkeeper Jordi Codina got a foot to the Argentina forward’s strike.
With the goal lead and control of possession Barcelona looked comfortable. However, the champions suffered a setback in the 25th when defender Gerard Pique was ejected for a late tackle on Getafe’s Rafael Lopez. Xavi Hernandez was booked for dissent after a lengthy protest by Barcelona’s players.
With Getafe seeing more of the ball, Nicolas “Miku” Ladislao drew two fine saves in a row from Victor Valdes.
Barcelona struck back when Ibrahimovic rounded Codina and his goalbound shot from a tight angle on the right was just intercepted by Lopez.
Early in the second half Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola bolstered the midfield to make up for the numerical disadvantage, replacing Ibrahimovic, who has not scored in the last five league games, with Sergio Busquets.
Seydou Keita should have scored soon after, shooting wide when through with only Codina to beat from close range.
Sporting Gijon 0-1 Barcelona
Barca opened the second half of the league season with yet another win- beating Sporting in Gijon thanks to a first half goal from Pedro in a game they could easily have won by a much wider margin.
The game in El Molinon was never going to be easy, but Barca overcame Sporting’s physical approach, the pouring rain and the muddy pitch which hardly helped their passing game to take three more points and extend their fantastic unbeaten league run, thanks to yet another decisive goal from Pedro,
the Blaugrana extended their lead at the top of the table.
Barcelona started the stronger of the two sides, dominating possession from the off, but los Rojiblancos were trying to stifle their illustrious opponents by pressurising them across the pitch.
Andres Iniesta almost broke his duck for the season after some excellent build up play through the middle of the pitch in the 12th minute, but the shot was saved. From the resulting corner, Zlatan Ibrahimovic hit the post with his header before the rebound was tucked home, but the Swede was correctly adjudged to have been offside.
Sporting had an opportunity when Carles Puyol put the ball behind for a corner in the 17th minute, but the set piece was poorly executed. Minutes later, Miguel de las Cuevas played Mate Bilic into space, but the Croatian could only drag his shot wide.
It was a warning sign for the Blaugrana, who were looking more exposed in defence with Puyol moved to right back in the absence of Dani Alves. At the other end, Ibrahimovic was showing no signs of improving his recent poor form as he blazed a shot over the bar from inside the penalty area.
On the half hour mark, Barcelona took a quick free kick, albeit from the wrong position, and from Iniesta’s through ball, Pedro raced clear and tucked the ball home for the opening goal. Sporting protested at the location in which the free kick was taken, but referee Paradas Romero allowed the goal to stand.
Barcelona Summer Agenda
Guardiola Summer Transfer wishlist
Guardiola has given his technical staff permission to go to work, and, although nothing will be made public until June 30, the players pursued seem to principally consist of Valencia star and Spanish international David Silva, Arsenal captain and former Barca youth player Cesc Fabregas, a goalkeeper to substitute Pinto and a viable substitute for Dani Alves at right-back.
