Football Update: UEFA Champions League – Match Preview: Barcelona versus Panathinaikos
Barcelona takes on Panathinaikos in their first UEFA Champions League match for the 2010-2011 season. Being the favourites to win this year’s competition, Barcelona will be looking to kick off their European campaign with a strong emphatic win against the Greek club Panathinaikos. Panathinaikos, who are not a completely unknown quantity themselves, will approach the match in an attempt to contain Barcelona’s famous attacking line up. However, such a task can prove to be quite difficult once both the teams take the field at Nou Camp on Tuesday night.
Barcelona have won the UEFA Champions League twice since the year 2000 and thus have established themselves as one of the most feared teams in European football. Their strength lies in the tiki taka style of play which is mastered in their youth football academy. Most of Barcelona’s players are from their youth academy and thus not only do they have a fantastic footballing technique but their team chemistry on the pitch is second to none as well. However, Barcelona’s Spanish league form so far as been quite patchy.
After smashing three goals past Racing Santander in their first La Liga match of the season, Barcelona lost focus in their second league match which was against the newly promoted side Hercules. In doing so, they lost at Nou Camp by a deficit of two goals, something that was certainly not expected of the present Spanish champions.
Nonetheless, out of their last five games, Barcelona has won three and lost matches. For Panathinaikos, the previous Greek league weekend was quite a happy occasion as they thrashed their local rivals Saloniki by a goal to nil to seal their second win of the season. Barcelona might have their own stars but Panathinaikos are not short of experienced individuals themselves.
The Greek champions have the former Liverpool striker Cisse in their line up along with the ex-Lyon winger Sidney Govou. They also have the former Arsenal captain, Gilberto Silva in their midfield ranks and at the back; they boast the inclusion of the former Newcastle defender, Jean-alain-Boumsong.
Conversely, Barcelona will most probably start with the combination of Pique and Puyol at the back. The two Spanish centre backs were essential to Spain’s triumph in the FIFA 2010 World Cup and have developed an understanding that is rivalled by only a few in club and international football. In the midfield area, Barcelona, who are known more affectionately as Barca, will look towards their new signing Mascherano to provide some cover for their more creative players.
Obviously, the focus will be on Lionel Messi, the current European Player of the year and World footballer of the year. After having an indifferent World Cup in South Africa with his national team Argentina, Messi will be striving to prove himself once again as the World’s best player and there is no better stage to do such an act other than the UEFA Champions League.
However, Pep Guardiola, Barcelona’s manager will have his hands full as he has some tough selection choices to make. The former Barca playmaker has to decide whether to start with a front three of Pedro, Lionel Messi and David Villa or give Iniesta the left sided attack berth in Barcelona’s offensive line up.
He also has to decide on his final midfield three which will be a contest between Keita, Mascherano, Adriano, Xavi or Busquets. Last time both these teams met in the UEFA Champions League, it was way back in 2005. Barcelona ended up as winners by an incredible five goals in that meeting between the two European powerhouses.
The two nil defeat that Barca suffered over the weekend will have given them a much needed jolt, as they head into their first group stage match of the UEFA Champions League. Given that the match is at Nou Camp which is Barcelona’s home stadium, they are undoubtedly the favourites to emerge as winners.
Tags: