Barca close on title as Madrid face derby test

AFP

Madrid: Barcelona can secure their fourth La Liga title in five years on Saturday, but the celebrations are likely to be muted with the club facing a mountain to climb in their Champions League semi-final.

Barca lead second-placed Real Madrid by 13 points with six games left to play, and could move 16 clear with a victory at struggling Athletic Bilbao (1600 GMT).

That would be enough to deliver them the title should Real then lose at third-placed Atletico Madrid (1800).

The Catalans, however, will travel back to the Nou Camp with their minds turning to how they might overturn a 4-0 deficit against Bayern Munich four days later.

The top two are likely to field weakened teams in anticipation of demanding European second legs next week.

Jose Mourinho's side have publicly given up on the league to focus on Europe and need to recover from a 4-1 drubbing at Borussia Dortmund.

Only a Barca win and a Real defeat can deliver coach Tito Vilanova's first league title as Madrid hold a superior head-to-head record.

Barca take on a Bilbao side lying 14th in the standings and in danger of slipping into the relegation battle, while on paper Real have a much-more demanding fixture at the Calderon.

Atletico have a chance to end almost 14 years of derby pain and to move above their distracted neighbours with a victory, and coach Diego Simeone has challenged his side to seize their opportunity.

Real are three points ahead of them and hold the edge in head-to-heads should they finish level, after a 2-0 victory at the Bernabeu earlier in the season.

CHANGE HISTORY

The Madrid derby usually induces pessimism in the red and white half of the Spanish capital with Atletico last managing to beat their city rivals with a 3-1 away win in 1999.

They have suffered nine defeats to Real in their last 10 league meetings at the Calderon, but the man who has engineered this year's impressive campaign is keen to change history.

"You have to go back many years before you find a time when we were competing for league positions as well as for the game," Argentine Simeone told a news conference on Wednesday.

"We have played them in many different circumstances and it hasn't gone well. Saturday is a new opportunity and you have to make the most of it."

The game also acts as a prelude for the King's Cup final when the two sides will clash again, this time at the Bernabeu on May 17.

Atletico were boosted when striker Diego Costa's yellow card from last weekend was overturned on appeal on Wednesday, meaning their pugnacious striker is available to play.

Atletico are close to securing a berth in the Champions League group stage, but the battle for the fourth spot, which requires entry through qualifying, is set to run to the end of the season.

Surprise-package Real Sociedad occupy fourth place, 13 points behind Atletico, but two ahead of fifth-placed Valencia who visit Sociedad's Anoeta stadium on Sunday (1900).

Barcelona loom, but Bayern focus on Hanover

Midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri insists Bayern Munich will not be distracted during Saturday's trip to Hanover 96, even as Barcelona loom in a mouth-watering Champions League semi-final.

The new Bundesliga champions host Barca at Munich's Allianz Arena on Tuesday when the top teams in Germany and Spain go head-to-head, but Shaqiri claims the Bavarians have their minds on more mundane domestic matters.

"Everyone's talking about Barca, but we're genuinely focused," insisted Switzerland's Shaqiri, who was man-of-the-match in an outstanding display in Bayern's 6-1 German Cup semi-final hammering of VfL Wolfsburg on Tuesday.

"It's been the key to our success this season.

"We're not looking to our left and right, we're staying on course and focusing exclusively on our matches.

"I think it's very difficult to trip up Bayern at the moment."

Having been crowned German champions for the 23rd time a fortnight ago, Bayern are unbeaten in their last 16 Bundesliga away games.

And they are homing in on a number of records this weekend.

With five games left, they are just three short of the Bundesliga record of 81 points, which Borussia Dortmund set last season.

Victory at Hanover would give Bayern a Bundesliga-record 26th win this season, which would also be a record ninth consecutive away win, while another clean sheet would be a record 20th for the league.

Hanover have won their last two matches at home to Bayern, but the Bavarians won the return fixture 5-0 in Munich last November.

Mario Gomez, who scored a hat-trick in six minutes against Wolfsburg in midweek, is likely to start at Hanover to gain much-needed match time as first-choice Mario Mandzukic is suspended for Tuesday's Champions League semi-final.

Left-back David Alaba is also available after missing the win over the Wolves with an upset stomach.

With an eight-point lead over third-placed Bayer Leverkusen, Dortmund are set to finish as Bundesliga runners up and they host Mainz on Saturday before facing Real Madrid at home in Wednesday's other Champions League semi-final.

Although Mainz have yet to win a Bundesliga game at Dortmund in six attempts, coach Jurgen Klopp is reluctant to rest players.

"It'll be an intense game, there are no thoughts of resting anyone, I will put together a team who I think can beat Mainz," said the Dortmund coach.

Klopp's side are in good form having won their last four Bundesliga matches in a row, scoring 17 goals in the process, but will be without captain Sebastian Kehl, who has a foot injury.

Germany star Marco Reus has been included in the squad despite picking up an injury in last weekend's 6-1 routing of bottom side Fuerth.

Leverkusen will be bidding to avoid any slip-ups at home to second-from-bottom Hoffenheim with German media reporting their Germany winger Andre Schuerrle is on the brink of signing a five-year deal with Chelsea.

With eight wins and a draw, Leverkusen have never lost against Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, but have won only one of their last five matches.

Hoffenheim have the worst away record in Germany's top flight with only five points from their last eleven games on the road, but new coach Markus Gisdol has picked up four points from his first two matches in charge as he bids to keep them up.

Schalke, fourth in the table, are at sixth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt with both sides eager to secure a Champions League spot for next season.

PSG VS BARCILONA

                                                  20.45                                     


    BARCILONA                                                 PSG

INEASTA CAN TAKE PLACE AT MESSI

Barcelona: Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta is hopeful his side can cope without the presence of Lionel Messi for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

The World Player of the Year hobbled off with a hamstring injury at half-time in the 2-2 draw between the two sides in the first leg last week and remains a major doubt for the return at the Camp Nou.

And whilst recognising the Argentine's importance to the side, Iniesta believes there is still sufficient quality in the Barca squad to carry them to a sixth successive Champions League semi-final.

"Without doubt in this team there is a dependency on Messi in the sense that he is fundamental for us, but we are not wholly reliant on him because we are a team and everyone can score goals," he told a press conference on Tuesday.

PSG dosent depends on messi

Paris St Germain's strategy for Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final, second leg at Barcelona will not depend on whether Lionel Messi features for the La Liga leaders, PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Tuesday.

The Argentine World Player of the Year strained a hamstring in last week's 2-2 first-leg draw in Paris but trained normally on Tuesday and it looks likely he will be available.

The buildup to the clash at the Nou Camp has been dominated by Messi's injury but Ancelotti appeared uninterested at his pre-match news conference.

"It's not our problem," he said.

just kiddind

a hat-tric was scored by cesc fabrigas

Barcelona took another step towards their fourth La Liga title in five years as a hat-trick from Cesc Fabregas guided them to a 5-0 win over Mallorca on Saturday.

Fabregas started up front in the absence of the injured Lionel Messi and made a welcome return to form as he also played a part in Barca's other two goals, scored by Alexis Sanchez, as the Catalans restored their 13-point lead at the top of the table.

However, the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for Eric Abidal as he made his first appearance in 14 months after undergoing a liver transplant.

The Frenchman replaced Gerard Pique with 21 minutes remaining to a rapturous reception from the Camp Nou crowd and coped comfortably with Mallorca's limited threat going forward.

Afterwards Abidal wanted to thank his cousin who was his donor for the transplant just over a year ago.

"Thank you to my cousin, without whom I wouldn't be here today," he told Canal+.

"Thank you for all the support to my family, my friends and all the supporters of FC Barcelona.

barcilona 4-1 arcenal

Unexpectedly behind in the tie and with the expectations of the Camp Nou faithful resting on their shoulders, even European heavyweights FC Barcelona needed a saviour. Four Lionel Messi goals later, Arsenal FC did not know what had hit them.

Though it was Arsenal who were knocked out come the end of the tie, reigning champions Barcelona had themselves been left punch-drunk after the quarter-final first leg. Two Zlatan Ibrahimović goals to the good, Josep Guardiola's side were pegged back in north London and Arsenal took the aggregate lead early on in Spain.

MESSI GOT INJURED

Madrid: Lionel Messi will miss this weekend's La Liga match at home to Real Mallorca with a right hamstring injury and will then return to action depending on the speed of his recovery, Barcelona said after tests on Wednesday.

The World Player of the Year limped off at halftime in Barca's 2-2 Champions League quarter-final first-leg draw away to Paris St Germain on Tuesday and is doubtful for next Wednesday's return at the Nou Camp.

Local media reports had said he would be out of action for about three weeks.
"I will return soon, thankfully it was not so serious." Messi said on his Facebook page.
"We are so sorry for Masche (Javier Mascherano) we will give our support he returns as soon as possible."

His Argentine team mate, defender Mascherano, was carried off on a stretcher in Paris and has been ruled out for six weeks with knee ligament damage.

Messi is Barca's leading scorer with eight goals in the Champions League and 43 in La Liga this season, and is an ever-present figure in the side.

BARCILONA

DANIEL ALVES

The FC Barcelona players were left with mixed feelings after conceding late on against Paris Saint-Germain FC while still leaving the French capital as favourites to progress following a 2-2 quarter-final first-leg draw. 

BARCILONA LOSES JAVIER MASSCHERANO

Javier  masscherano for the next six weeks after the standing in central defence tore the internal ligment in his right knee during the match with PSG so he will non be playing with fc barcilona for the next six weeks

He joins defenders Carles Puyol and Adriano and forward Pedro Rodríguez (calf) in the Barcelona treatment room. Barça have also confirmed they will assess the fitness of Lionel Messi on their return to Catalonia after the talisman was substituted with a right hamstring complaint at half-time in Paris.

christino ronaldo

MESSI`S BEST

BARCILONA VS PSG

                                                20 : 40

CHRISTIANO RONALDO

Real Madrid`s coach Jose Mourinho is hoping his goal-shy team rediscover their goal-scoring form in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final  against Turkish giants Galatasaray on Wednesday.

Cristiano Ronaldo kept up his imperious form with his 43rd goal of the season in Saturday's 1-1 draw away at Real Zaragoza, but the lack of goals from other areas of the pitch concerns Mourinho.

"maybe that is one of the differences this season," he said.

ZALTAN IBRAHIMOVIC AS GOOD AS MESSI

Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic heaped praise on his former team-mate Lionel Messi on Monday, insisted it was too early  to say that Argentine as the greatest player of all time.

Messi, who  scored his 43rd goal of the season in La Liga at the weekend is becoming the first player ever to score against every other team in la league in consecutive games.

The Argentine has broken endless goalscoring records in recent times and will be Barcelona's principal threat when the Catalans take on Ibrahimovic and PSG in the Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday.

GREATNESS OF RONALDO

Mesut ozil: ''Cristiano is a great friend. If I go into the locker room and forget to say Bismillah, he often comes to me and says, Mesut, you forgot to say Bismillah "
Though he isn't a Muslim, but he respects the religion.

CHRISTIANO RONALDO FOR EVER

XAVI ON PSG TRIP

xavi and alba back for PSG trip of barca.

Madrid: Barcelona's Xavi and Jordi Alba have both recovered from hamstring strains and were included in their squad on Sunday for the trip to play Paris St Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals.

The duo returned injured from international duty with Spain - Alba after the World Cup qualifying draw with Finland a week ago, and Xavi after helping the world champions to get a 1-0 win away to France.

They were left out of the leaders' squad for their 2-2 draw away to Celta Vigo in La Liga on Saturday.

Coach Tito Vilanova took charge of Sunday's training session as he steadily works his way back into the job after two months in New York receiving cancer treatment.