Barcelona – Valladolid 16 May 2010

Barcelona last 5 league matches:

Barcelona last 3 home matches: 

Valladolid last 5 league matches:

Valladolid last 3 away matches:

Table positions: Barcelona - 1, Valladolid - 16

Barcelona home table position: 2

Valladolid away table position: 9

The most interesting day in this season of the Primera Division with 2 matches that will decide the champions as Barcelona welcomes Valladolid and Real Madrid travel to Malaga.

Barcelona with the first chance in grabbing the championship trophy as they have 1 point over their bitter rivals and will play in front of a packed Camp Nou. Their latest form is great with 4 victories in the last 4 played in the competition.

They have turned home ground in fortress with 17 victories and 1 draw in all 18 played with a compelling goal ratio of 53 scored and only 11 conceded.

Real Valladolid will most certainly put up a great fight, the team has 36 points, the same amount as Malaga, Tenerife and Racing Santander, all of them in danger of relegation, it remains to be seen which 2 will leave the competition for the Secunda Division.

They have showed a rise in form lately and managed to grab 8 vital points in the last 5 matches played defeating Sporting Gijon and Racing whilst ending in goalless draws against Malaga and Getafe. Their away statistic is modest with 3 victories and 7 draws in all 18 played with a negative goal ratio that shows 14 scored and 26 conceded.

My pick:  Barcelona to win

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Barcelona – Inter 28 April 2010

*matches in all competitions

Barcelona last 5 matches:  

Barcelona last 3 home matches: 

Inter last 5 matches:

Inter last 3 away matches:

The return leg of the second semi-final in the Champions League and Barcelona looks like they have a mountain to climb as they need to overcome a 3-1 aggregate scoreline against Inter on Camp Now this Wednesday.

Barcelona lost the first round played in Italy and worst than that they had very few opportunities to make any difference with their star player Lionel Messi marked at all times by 2 of Inter’s defenders.  They manage to win last week against Deportivo Xerez but their game was not impressive especially in the first half when the team looked very fragile in defense.

They hope that the home ground advantage will make the difference as they have made Camp Nou a fortress this season and most certainly Guardiola has studied Inter in dept to find their weak spot.

Inter is heading into this match with a very good morale both from the victory against Barcelona and more recently by reclaiming the top spot in the Serie A with a very good chance of keeping it to the end of the season thanks to their close victory away to Fiorentina and AS Roma’s defeat at the hands of Sampdoria.

Although their away play was not at all impressive this season, with a 3-1 advantage they will do what they know best and that is defending in my opinion from the start of the match and clustering players in their half so Barcelona will not have much space to work with.

My tip:  Barcelona to win

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Barcelona – Xerez 24 April 2010

Barcelona last 5 league matches:

Barcelona last 3 home matches: 

Xerez last 5 league matches:

Xerez last 3 away matches:

Table positions: Barcelona - 1, Xerez - 20

Barcelona home table position: 2

Xerez away table position: 14

This might prove to be the perfect opportunity for Barcelona to improve on their morale and start winning again against struggling Deportivo Xerez after 2 consecutive disappointing matches.

Barcelona is heading into this match from the top spot of the Primera Division but only with one point advantage over Real Madrid due to their draw in the last round against Espanyol.

They have suffered a painful defeat this week in the Champions League whilst traveling to Italian Champions Internazionale Milan with the final score showing a comfortable 3-1 for the opposition in a match in which Barcelona showed real problems in keeping the ball in the opposition’s pitch especially in the second half. Their home statistic with 15 victories and one draw in 16 played needs no comment and it will certainly recommend them to grab all 3 points here.

Deportivo Xerez is showing signs of improvement in the competition with 8 points gathered in the last 5 matches played but currently on the last spot with a total of just 27 points it might prove to late.

They sit 7 points from salvation but it’s hard to think that a team who spend almost all season on the last spot could achieve the impossible. Only 2 victories for them away and another 5 draws in 16 played with a terrible goal ratio of 15 scored and 30 conceded.

My pick: Barcelona to win

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Inter – Barcelona 20 April 2010

*matches in all competitions

Inter last 5 matches:  

Inter last 3 home matches: 

Barcelona last 5 matches: 

Barcelona last 3 away matches:

First semi-final of the Champions League, a true match of champions as Internazionale Milan welcome Spanish giants Barcelona for the 3rd clush between them this season after the group confrontations.

Barcelona dominated in the group confrontations in the start of the season with a goalless draw on Inter’s pitch and a 2-0 victory on Camp Nou, but now the Italian squad seems to have the upper hand and the favorite status at least in this first leg.

Inter is heading into this match with a very good morale after maintaining themselves in the Serie A championship title chase last week with a victory over rivals Juventus and displaying a very good form in the process.

Home matches are their specialty with superb statistics both in the domestic league and the Champions League but the team needs to start in force against Barcelona and block all Catalan attempts to score if they are to stand a chance for the big final.

Barcelona will be heading into this match highly motivated after losing ground last week in the Spanish Primera Division with their goalless draw against local rivals Espanyol. A very though trip for them which saw Dani Alves leaving the pitch on the 62′ after receiving the second yellow card.

They don’t seem to have any complex against Inter or their coach but i expect a very close match with both teams striving to get a goal in whilst concentrating on the defense.

My tip:  Draw

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Espanyol – Barcelona 17 April 2010

Espanyol last 5 league matches:

Espanyol last 3 home matches: 

Barcelona last 5 league matches: 

Barcelona last 3 away matches:

Table positions: Espanyol - 14, Barcelona - 1

Espanyol home table position: 10

Barcelona away table position: 1

A match eagerly expected by both Espanyol and Barcelona on Saturday a local derby proven over the years to be very spectacular and unpredictable.

Espanyol has had a though season so far and now stand only on the 14th spot of the Primera Division table and with a total of 37 points just 8 over the relegation zone. The team has won only one match in the past 5 played with a superb display of force on home ground against Atletico Madrid 3-0 but failed grab any points from their trip to Racing Santander in the last round.

They have a decent statistic on home ground when comparing to their disastrous display in away matches with 8 victories and 5 draws in 16 matches played in front of their supporters.

Barcelona flying high in both competition in which they are still involved and now top the Primera Division standings with 6 points advantage over Real Madrid as they have a game more played than their bitter rivals.

They are clear favorites in getting all the points from this one and adding another victory to their current record of 7 straight especially as they have the best statistic in away matches of all teams in the competitions with no less than 11 victories and 4 draws in 16 played accompanied by a superb goal ratio of 34 scored and 10 conceded.

My pick: Barcelona to win

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Real Madrid – Barcelona 10 April 2010

Real Madrid last 5 league matches:

Real Madrid last 3 home matches:

Barcelona last 5 league matches: 

Barcelona last 3 away matches: 

Table positions: Real Madrid - 1, Barcelona - 2

Real Madrid home table position: 1

Barcelona away table position: 1

El Clasico as this derby match is known around the world and all eyes on Spain Saturday night with this legendary rivals go head to head with both Ream Madrid and Barcelona aiming for the title of champions and both displaying impressive force and football skill.

Real Madrid is the favorite here with this match on home ground and in front of 80.000 eager supporters. They currently to the Primera Division table but with 77 point they are in front of Barcelona due only to their better goal ratio making this direct match between the two a very important and maybe decisive for the overall look at the end of the season.

Real lost their trip to Barcelona 0-1 in the start of the season and in case both teams finish with the same amount of points, the Catalan giants have the upper hand putting pressure on Real Madrid before this match kicks off but also motivating them even further.

A perfect record at home this season, a truly unbelievable performance in such a powerful football championship with 15 victories in 15 played and a goal ratio to match this as they scored no less than 50 goal and conceded only 13. Having been kicked out of the Champions League by Olympique Lyon with the big final on Santiago Bernabeu and existing Copa del Rey very early this remains their only objective and failure to grab it would mean disaster.

Barcelona has a sky high morale after this week of Champions League as they eliminated Arsenal with a superb display of football and Lionel Messi in an exceptional form. Continuing their journey both in the UCL and Primera Division, fatigue may become a factor in their overall performance but the motivation and pressure such a derby match brings will probably make them tackle their limits.

As Real Madrid are the best team when it comes to home ground statistic, Barcelona tops the charts with their away record showing 10 victories and 4 draws whilst losing only against Atletico Madrid and a very good goal ratio of 33 scored and only 10 conceded. Although they are characterized mainly by their offensive force, this season they proved to have the best defensive of them all in the competition.

My pick:  Real Madrid to win (over 2.5 goals)

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Barcelona - Arsenal 6 April 2010

*matches in all competitions

Barcelona last 5 matches:  

Barcelona last 3 home matches: 

Arsenal last 5 matches: 

Arsenal last 3 away matches:

The first leg of this clash surely left us wanting more and with a 2-2 aggregate scoreline miracles are still possible on Camp Now this Tuesday.

Barcelona dominated the first match with a crushing possession especially in the first half but failed to win the game as the last minutes caught them defending and trying to keep the ball as far away from they goalie as possible.

They are clear favorites to win this match and advance to the next phase of the competition especially with 2 goals scored away and this season’s performances on their home ground.

Arsenal pulled a very satisfying result especially when appreciating how the match hard but they have their work cut out as a victory on Barcelona’s ground will be very hard to achieve.

The team still shows some weakness in they away play in the Premier League and this match will be the first in 3 consecutive ones played whilst traveling, a schedule which can cause some discomfort for the Gunners.

My tip:  Barcelona to win

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Arsenal – Barcelona 31 March 2010

*matches in all competitions

Arsenal last 5 matches:  

Arsenal last 3 home matches: 

Barcelona last 5 matches: 

Barcelona last 3 away matches:

The Champions League is closing down to the big final with only top teams battling out in this stage as the case here where current champions Barcelona will travel to Arsenal for a match that announces itself as very spectacular.

Arsenal, with the third spot of the Premier League secured is trying the impossible in a championship battle against giants Chelsea and Manchester United, showing a great form with very good results lately in all competitions.

In the previous round of the competition they had a very though time in the first leg against FC Porto but recovered in time for the return to thrash the Portuguese side 5-0.

Only Birmingham managed last week to put an end to a superb 6 match winning streak with a one all draw but Champions League is a different matter and a match on home ground is very important for the overall outcome of the campaign.

Only on the second spot in the Spanish Primera Division due to Real’s better goal ratio, Barcelona is showing as well a fine form making me to believe that this match will be a real show especially as both teams have a great appetite for scoring goals and pushing on the offense.

A very similar situation for Barcelona in the previous phase of the tournament, after being held to a 1-1 draw by Stuttgart, the Catalan side got it’s revenge and marched over the Germans 4-0 at the final whistle.

My tip:  Barcelona to win (over 2.5 goals)

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Barcelona – Osasuna 24 March 2010

Barcelona last 5 league matches:

Barcelona last 3 home matches: 

Osasuna last 5 league matches: 

Osasuna last 3 away matches:

Table positions: Barcelona - 2, Osasuna -13

Barcelona home table position: 2

Osasuna away table position: 8

With both the giants of Spanish football winning in the last round, Barcelona is still trailing Real Madrid due to an inferior goal ration and will push to profit from Osasuna’s poor form to claim all 3 points in the hope that Getafe will steal at least one point from their direct adversaries.

Barcelona is once again displaying a great form but things at the top of the Primera Division are complicated, 68 points for the, the same amount as Real but second due the goal ratio where their adversaries have 2 more scored.

The Catalan side has scored no less than 11 goal in the last 3 matches played both in the domestic league and the Champions League, with 4 of them in the last round away to Racing Santander and as far as the home record goes they have 12 victories and only one draw in all 13 played.

Osasuna is falling rapidly in the overall charts with their last victory dating back to the 7th of February, that’s almost 2 months without the taste of victory and this can be revealed by the 13th spot they now hold with a total of just 31 points, 8 above the relegation line.

In spite of these facts, the team’s away statistic is rather decent for their position with 4 victories and 2 draws in 14 played but with defeats in all last 3 played whilst traveling.

My pick:  Barcelona to win

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Barcelona – Valencia 14 March 2010

Barcelona last 5 league matches:

Barcelona last 3 home matches:

Valencia last 5 league matches:

Valencia last 3 away matches:

Table positions: Barcelona -2, Valencia -3

Barcelona home table position: 2

Valencia away table position: 2

A spectacular match awaits us this Sunday in the Spanish Primera Division with Barcelona welcoming Valencia in an attempt to reclaim the top spot from Real Madrid.

Barcelona lost the tops spot after last week’s 2-2 results at Almeria and Real took the lead due to their better goal ratio as both teams have 63 points in overall. As time passes it looks more likely that the direct results between the 2 giants could make the difference at the end of the season as neither is able to separate and break off from it’s rival.

Barcelona lost ground especially due to it’s poor displays when playing away as at home their statistic is solid with 11 victories and 1 draws in all 12 played and a superb goal ratio of 34 scored and 8 conceded. This game is of high importance for the Catalan side as Valencia is one of the few teams that really look like posing problems on Nou Camp.

Valencia is as well on a downward trend with no victory in the last 2 matches of the Spanish Primera Division as they lost to Ahletico Madrid and ended last week in a goalless draw with Racing Santander on their own pitch.

Not the best of impression left by them this week as well in the Europa League where they managed only a one all result with Werder Bremen, making the trip to Germany and the qualification to the next phase a very difficult task. In away matches their statistic is one of the best in the domestic league with 7 victories and 3 draws in 13 played but against a team such as Barcelona and in light of their recent displays this might become irrelevant.

My pick:  Barcelona to win ( over 2.5 goals )

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