~ Available Players: 14 First team Players + Cuenca, SergiRoberto, JDS & TELLO [ 4 Barca B players trained yesterday & today with 1st team].

~Injuries:
- Iniesta [Out for 3 weeks, 25 Jan].
- Alexis [Out for 1-2 Weeks, 25 Jan].
- Long-term Injuries: Fontas, Afellay & Villa.

~ STATS

- MessiStats Vs Villareal: 7W, 2D,2L, 6goals, 2 assists in 880 minutes | including 2goals [at El Madrigal].

- FCBarcelona Stats vs Villareal [@ El Madrigal]: 6W, 1D, 5L | Goal-Difference: 19-20, Biggest win: 1-4 (2009/10).

- Messi has so far scored 36 goals and given 18 assists this season, Personal season records: 53 goals, 25 assists.

=======================

Line-ups Predictions, Formation, Score? Discuss.

.
Line-up/Formation Predictions:

Valdes
Masche Pique Abidal
Xavi Sergio Cesc Thiago
Alves Messi Pedro

Khaled, if Iniesta is out all 3 week does his miss the CL game?

OT: Villareal are struggling for results, but they arent playing nearly as bad as it seems. I expect us to win and do so well, even with the injuries but this isnt the usual Barca vs relegation fodder game.

Villarreal arent always easy vs us....I remember watching them own us with Cani once recently.... and they won 3-0 last week vs Gijon so they are all bad atm after the managerial change.... still I think we should win it, we are better

I want Adriano to play.He can play LW or as LB.After the game against Malaga he deserves gametime.

The Franchise wrote:Khaled, if Iniesta is out all 3 week does his miss the CL game?

OT: Villareal are struggling for results, but they arent playing nearly as bad as it seems. I expect us to win and do so well, even with the injuries but this isnt the usual Barca vs relegation fodder game.

1st leg vs Bayer is on 14 Feb [ 20 days from the day he got injured]..
so hopefully he plays..

-------------------VV-------------------

Dani Alves---Machete-----Pique-----Abidal

------------------Busquets----------------

-------------Xavi-----------Thiago

Pedro--------------Messi------------Adriano


or

---------------------VV-------------------

-----Machete-------Pique...........Abidal--

----------Xavi------Busi----Thiago--

Dani Alves............Cesc.-------------Pedro

-------------------Messi---------------

Thanks Khaled, he has a chance then.

The Franchise wrote:Thanks Khaled, he has a chance then.

welcome dani.
-------------

Pedro Injured

Alexis travels with the team since Pedro is out injured. He's wearing a protection on his shoulder and could even play with an infiltration.

Note: Tello, SergiRoberto, JDS & Cuenca were also called for this match..

So Barca's Squad for today's match vs Villareal: 13 fit First team player + 4Barca B + 1 injured player!!!

So most probably Barca will play with this line-up:

Valdes
Masche Pique Abidal
Xavi Sergio Cesc Thiago
Alves Messi Cuena

OR

Valdes
Masche Pique Abidal
Xavi Sergio Cesc Thiago
Alves Messi Adriano

Bench: Pinto Puyol JDS SergiRoberto Tello, Injured Alexis +Cuenca/Adriano.

Ffs...we cant afford anymore injuries god....

I would also like to see Adriano play, hes been class this season and offers much needed width.

Not another injury

I'm hoping we are NOT going to play in a 3-4-3 formation. If it were up to me, I'd give Xavi a rest and use Cesc and Thiago on midfield.

Does anyone know what formation Villarreal play under their new coach?

No Thaigo...still playing Cesc.

Abidal, Puyol, Pique AND Mascherano.......

WTF you doing Pep.

Lionel Messi why do you have Henry in avatar? Great choice.

2-1 win for us or another draw and the end of La Liga very small title hopes.

I think the big problem in this game(as it has been this season) is that pep is trying too many things and not allowing the team to get any chemistry in one formation.

That said, I don't know wtf we are doing out there. messi is playing pretty badly(he has not been himself since the new year imo), as well as cesc who i'm starting to feel is becoming a liability

Great performance, stuff of legend.................


Wasted 45 minutes with a obsurd line up. Looking like Spain with two holding players leaving Xavi with no space.

The less said about Cesc the better, nothing but shite. Wasnt he supposed to be good at passing?

Messi didnt lack effort but played poorely.

Shame on Pep for not starting Thiago.

wtf, another away disaster. Couldn't wathc the game as i am at the airport travelling. There is nothing left but to congratulate RM the league and focus on copa and CL. Hopefully we do not screw up those too.

matpol wrote:Lionel Messi why do you have Henry in avatar? Great choice.

2-1 win for us or another draw and the end of La Liga very small title hopes.

One of my favorite moments from him, shushing the bernabeu

Anyway, the first ~60 minutes were absolute garbage, we created about one good chance which Messi mucked up, then Sanchez came on and we played a lot more like our old selves but couldn't find the back of the net.

I knew we weren't going to be playing well with that awful line up, we needed proper wingers that can finish and make runs, and a dynamic midfielder in the form of Thiago in the middle, he didn't get enough time and I think he would have been key in this match. IMO we would have had a much better game with him playing.

Adriano was great, he created a lot of space with his dribbling and speed but couldn't find a way to turn it into end product.

Our main problem was Xavi tonight imo, it was one of the worst if not the worst game I've seen him play for Barcelona, tonight's performance and his performance vs Real Madrid on Wednesday were unacceptable, he was pretty much completely anonymous. We begun to dominate once Thiago came in for him.

Messi was also poor in front of goal missing a 1v1 and a couple of shots that weren't good enough to beat the keeper, although his overall play wasn't horrid. I still don't understand why we are ousting him from the middle for Sanchez, it's not working.

We had a nice run in the league guys but I don't know if the lead Real Madrid have over us is surmountable.

eelir wrote:wtf, another away disaster. Couldn't wathc the game as i am at the airport travelling. There is nothing left but to congratulate RM the league and focus on copa and CL. Hopefully we do not screw up those too.

I still think that we should focus a bit on the league...if we don't we may have to give a pasillo to madrid in the camp nou...that is ultimate humiliation tbh...and completely undeserved
We are inconsistent but if we played a match with madrid at their best against us at our best, then we would come out on top...no doubts.

Classic case of best team of the league not winning the league

to be honest i would not say we are the best in the league. There is a BIG problem for us in the league in away matches. RM is the best, if not technically, then mentally. They had tens of times going down and emerging as winners. They have the hunger, and this Barca team does not. Solely for that i do not consider us the best team. Head to head we are better but not in la liga, not so far at least.

shinigami99 wrote:

eelir wrote:wtf, another away disaster. Couldn't wathc the game as i am at the airport travelling. There is nothing left but to congratulate RM the league and focus on copa and CL. Hopefully we do not screw up those too.

I still think that we should focus a bit on the league...if we don't we may have to give a pasillo to madrid in the camp nou...that is ultimate humiliation tbh...and completely undeserved
We are inconsistent but if we played a match with madrid at their best against us at our best, then we would come out on top...no doubts.

Classic case of best team of the league not winning the league

The team that win the league is the best team int the league..ask puyol about it.

How is barca best team in league if they cant make chances to save their lives in away games?

Adit wrote:The team that win the league is the best team int the league..ask puyol about it.

How is barca best team in league if they cant make chances to save their lives in away games?

I think there are cases where the best team fails to win the league, but this is not the case. We have consistent inconsistency in our away games and that is not a trait of a best team.