Striking rivals out to steal a march

As FC Barcelona start the defence of their UEFA Champions League title at FC Internazionale Milano all talk focused on Zlatan Ibrahimović and Samuel Eto'o as they prepare to come up against their former clubs. The forwards traded places in the summer, Ibrahimović swapping San Siro for Catalonia and Eto'o making the opposite journey two months after scoring the opener in Barça's 2-0 final triumph over Manchester United FC in Rome.

José Mourinho, Inter coach
It's just the first game. I don't want to think Barça are the favourites. We have started to play in a different way and we want to become a team with our own characteristics that work for both Italian and European football. Eto'o is always motivated, and he was born to win. He loves playing football and when he's on the pitch he becomes another person. He left Barcelona, but I'm sure it's still in his heart. I don't think this match will be something extraordinary for him, he will play like he always does. He doesn't have to prove anything, we all know his qualities. Guardiola is happy with Ibra, I'm happy with Eto'o and Eto'o is happy here. We are playing against Barcelona, not against Ibra. Anyway, it is always a pleasure to come up against the best players. I will tell you the starting eleven and then leave: Júlio César, Maicon, Samuel, Lucio and Chivu, Stanković or Muntari, Zanetti, Thiago Motta, Sneijder, Milito and Eto'o.

Josep Guardiola, Barcelona coach
This game won't determine who wins the group. This is a very tough group, with four national champions. It's a pleasure to be in Italy. Last season we didn't face a single Italian opponent. Personally it's an honour for me to face a coach as great as Mourinho who has won trophies in three different countries. Inter have won four Scudetti in a row, with different players and coaches, which proves their strength. We have to play great to win. They're a strong team. Mourinho may have revealed his starting eleven but I won't do it, I never do it. I wanted Ibrahimović because we knew him and his winning mentality well. He's adapting very quickly and we wait for him to be 100 per cent. I hope I get the chance to say hi to Eto'o tomorrow. I want to thank him for the five wonderful years he spent in Barcelona. He is a champion and it won't be easy.

Key stats
• Barcelona are aiming to become the first team to defend the European crown since AC Milan in 1989/90. Inter are seeking a first European Champion Clubs' Cup since back-to-back wins in 1964 and 1965.

• The sides have met in the UEFA Champions League before. Barcelona were convincing 3-0 home winners in their second group-stage encounter on 18 February 2002 before the teams played out a goalless draw the following week.

• Inter's Javier Zanetti and Barcelona pair Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernández played in both matches, with Andrés Iniesta an unused substitute at San Siro.

• Inter have lost just one of 15 home matches against Spanish clubs. The Nerazzurri achieved the first of their two European Cup successes by defeating Real Madrid CF 3-1 in the 1964 final in Vienna.

Team news
• Inter
Out: Esteban Cambiasso (knee), Marco Materazzi (thigh)
Doubtful: Dejan Stanković (flu)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

• Barcelona
Out: Bojan Krkić (thigh), Rafael Márquez
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

Weekend results
13/09/09 Inter 2-0 Parma FC
(Eto'o 71, Milito 88)

12/09/09 Getafe CF 0-2 Barcelona
(Ibrahimović 66, Messi 80)

Did you know?
Mourinho served as an assistant to the late Sir Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal at Barcelona from 1996-2000.

A tough start

Barça kick off the Champions League campaign with a tough match against Inter Milan in the Giuseppe Meazza.The return of Ibra to his former club and the re-encounter with Eto’o are two of the main talking points.

Barça begin the defence of their European crown on Wednesday in the stadium of one of the favourites to lift this season’s trophy, Inter Milan. The two sides are amongst the most in-form in Europe. Barça have won the last five competitions they’ve taken part in and started the domestic campaign with two wins out of two. Inter, meanwhile, are unbeaten in three games in the Serie A.

Old friends

There are plenty of individual re-encounters to add spice to the match. Zlatan Ibrahimovic goes back to the stadium where he conquered the last three Italian league titles, as does Maxwell, while Barça will face Samuel Eto’o for the first time since his move to Inter in the summer. Former Barça stars Thiago Motta and Ricardo Quaresma are also vital members of José Mourinho ’s squad (former Barça assistant coach).

Márquez returns

Pep Guardiola has named all 19 available players, including Chigrinskiy, who is ineligible having already taken part in the qualifying phase with Shakhtar Donetsk. Rafa Márquez returns to the squad after recovering from the injury he picked up on the tour of the USA and which has prevented him from playing so far this season. His return comes at opportune moment for Barça as the fixtures intensify. However, the injured Bojan and Milito are excluded.

Previous matches

Inter and Barça last met in Italy in the 2002/03 season in the second group stage of the Champions League. Barça strolled to a 3-0 win in the Camp Nou and then earned a valuable draw (0-0) in the Giuseppe Meazza. Many years earlier, in the 60s, both teams won a leg apiece of their Fairs Cup tie.

Inter Milan v Barça: Did you know?

There are plenty of interesting facts and figures that connect FC Barcelona and Inter Milan. Here are some of them:


► FC Barcelona have won the European Cup/Champions League three times: 1992 in Wembley; 2006 in Paris and 2009 in Roma.

► The last reigning champion to win the CL was Milan in 1990.

► Inter has won it twice: in 1964 and 1965.

► This is FC Barcelona’s ninth visit to Milan. In the previous eight trips, Barça won three, drew three and lost two against the two Milan based clubs.

► The last time Barça visited the city was in the CL semi-finals in the 2005/06 season. Barça secured a narrow 0-1 win thanks to a goal from Giuly in the 57th minute.

► The first meeting between the two sides in the CL was on 26th February 2003. The match ended 3-0 in Barça’s favour with goals from Saviola, Cocu and Kluivert, giving FC Barcelona a record breaking eleven straight wins in the competition.

► The return match ended in a goalless draw but though Barça went through to the quarterfinals as group winners, it was Inter that made it to the semi-finals. Zanetti (Inter), Puyol and Xavi are the only players in the current squads that took part in that match in the Giuseppe Meazza.

► José Mourinho was on the Barça coaching staff from 1996 to 2000 as assistant to Sir Bobby Robson and Louis Van Gaal. During those four years he rubbed shoulders with Pep Guardiola, then a Barça player.

► During his stint as Chelsea manager, Mourinho defeated FC Barcelona in the CL quarterfinals in 2004 only to see the tables turned in the same round the following year. In the 2006/07 season, Chelsea got the best of the two group stage matches, winning in London and drawing in the Camp Nou.

► Guardiola has won five trophies in just over a year whereas Mourinho has won fifteen in seven years.

► Guardiola is one of only six men to win Europe’s top club trophy both as a player and as a manager. The others are Miguel Muñoz, Giovanni Trapattoni, Johan Cruyff, Carlo Ancelotti and Frank Rijkaard.

► Fate has decided that Eto’o and Ibrahimovic will play against their former team-mates in the first match of this season’s CL.

► Eto’o spent five seasons with FC Barcelona, with some impressive statistics: 109 goals in 144 league matches and 18 goals in 43 CL matches. He also scored the opening goals in the 2006 and 2009 finals.

► In his last three seasons with Inter Milan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored 57 goals in 88 league matches and 6 goals in 22 CL matches.

► Thierry Henry has won and lost against Inter. The French international lost in the UEFA Cup semi-finals in 1996 when he played for Monaco but then scored twice in the Giuseppe Meazza for his old club Arsenal in 2003 in the CL.

► Xavi and Messi are also defending their awards as best midfielder and best forward and best player respectively in last season’s CL.

► Since the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup, Barça have not conceded a single goal in the following four matches. Victor Valdés has been unbeaten for a total of 436 minutes.

Back in a legendary stadium

Three and a half years after their last match in the San Siro district of Milan, Barça are back in the Giuseppe Meazza. On Tuesday evening the players trained in the stadium ahead of their CL duel against Inter.


Whether you know it as the Giuseppe Meazza or the San Siro, the ground where Barça will kick off their CL campaign is a majestic stadium. Even when it rains. The players found this out for themselves at the training session on Tuesday evening.

A fast pitch

The 19-strong squad were able to see for themselves that the pitch is pretty fast due to the rain that fell throughout the day. The session started at 7 pm and manager Pep Guardiola arrived a few minutes late as a result of his press conference.

At the beginning of the session, Guardiola spoke for some time about tactical matters with Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Meanwhile, Carles Puyol –who was substituted in the second half of the match against Getafe- warmed up separately from the group but then re-joined the rest of the players and took a full part in training.

Guardiola: “It’ll be a tough test”

Josep Guardiola has no doubt whatsoever that Barça’s first match in this season’s CL against Inter Milan will be a “tough test” for his team.


Barça begin the defence of their CL title this Wednesday in the Giuseppe Meazza and Josep Guardiola is aware that his team will have to play well if they want to win: “It’ll be a tough test, a very difficult match. Inter have a lot of strength. They’re strong in all aspects. We’ll have to play a complete match”.

Attacking football

Guardiola, who pointed out that Barça did not have to face any Italian teams last season, confirmed that his players would stick to their trademark style. “We’ll try and do the same as always – get the ball and attack. We have to try and give people a good match in a marvellous stadium. We respect this style of football and we’re coming here to win and do what we know”.

“A great challenge”

Josep Guardiola emphasised that it was “a great challenge” for the players to take part in matches like the one on Wednesday in the Giuseppe Meazza: “It’s fantastic for us to be able play matches like these that guarantee a great spectacle”.

“We’re in the toughest group”

However, Josep Guardiola denied that FC Barcelona and Inter Milan are playing for first place in the group: “Absolutely not. We’re in the toughest group, with four champions of their respective leagues. It’s a group where there could be a lot of upsets”.

Mourinho

As for the rivalry with Inter manager José Mourinho, Guardiola told reporters. “For me it’s a pleasure, an honour, to be able to play a match against a team with a manager of the Mourinho’s prestige, who has won a lot in three different countries. I had the luck to coincide with him for a year. He’s an extraordinary person”.

Available players

Finally, Guardiola expressed his wish that his players avoid injury during the season: “This year I lost a number of players right from the beginning. We haven’t been able to count on Rafa so far, Andrés has a bit left, Zlatan is beginning to get into his stride…What I want above all else is to have them all available”.

Puyol: "They’re one of the best teams in Europe"

Although the Champions League is just beginning, and it’s much too soon to talk about who’s leading the group, Carles Puyol told reporters on Tuesday afternoon: “It’s important to start with a win”.


Inter v Barça is the most attractive game of the first CL matchday. Not only are they two of Europe’s greatest clubs, but there is also the prospect of Eto'o, now with Inter, and Ibrahimovic, Barça’s star summer signing, lining up against their old team-mates.

Club captain Carles Puyol is aware that these two players will attract much of the attention but warned that “we have to be careful” with the other players.

Respect for the opponents

Carles Puyol rejects any talk of an Inter – Barça duel for first place in the group: “It’s too early and you have to respect all out opponents. It’s important to start with a win but there are five more matches and we have to go a step at a time”.

The dangers of Inter

Carles Puyol has a great deal of respect for Inter: “They’re one of the best teams in Europe. They’re very strong physically and have some quality players”.

Facing Eto'o

Meanwhile, Carles Puyol is “excited” about meeting up again with Samuel Eto'o, with whom he shared five great years at Barça: “It’s a challenge. He’s one of the best players in the world and it’ll be a difficult job”.

However, Puyol doesn’t believe Eto’o will be especially motivated against his old club: “He gives 100% in every match, right up to the end”.

Inter v Barça: a gift for Eto’o

Samuel Eto’o will line up for Inter against Barça and is delighted to test his new club against the reigning champions: “Very few teams get to play against the best team in the world”.


Fate determined that Inter Milan would receive FC Barcelona in the Giuseppe Meazza for the opening match of the Champions League group stage. The fact that former Barça striker Samuel Eto’o is now with the Italian champions has added an extra dimension to the clash. Speaking in an interview with TV3, he describes Wednesday evening’s match as a “gift” and assures the fans. “Very few teams get to play against the best team in the world”.

A dream final

Samuel Eto’o is always ready for a challenge and would like to meet his former club in the final: “I didn’t want to face Barça at this point in the competition. My wish is that both teams reach the final. I want to play the final against Barça”.

Return to the Camp Nou

However, Eto’o has no complaints about the tie: “It’s a pleasure to play now against Barça and in a couple of months’ time return to the Camp Nou. In fact I wondered if I would ever get the chance to return here and now I know I’ll play again in the stadium that will always be my home”.

Barça and Mourinho meet again

Inter’s Portuguese coach José Mourinho has faced Barça six times before. All of them have been in charge of Chelsea and in the Champions League. Mourinho has won twice, lost twice and drawn the remaining two.


Frank Rijkaard was in charge of Barça for the six matches. The first time Mourinho faced his former club was in the R16 of the Champions League in the 2004/05 season. The first leg was played in the Camp Nou and ended 2-1 in Barça’s favour, with goals from Maxi López and Eto’o. Belletti scored an own goal.

The return leg at Stamford Bridge was the first of Mourinho’s two wins. Chelsea won 4-2 thanks to goals from Gudjohnsen, Lampard, Duff and Terry (Ronaldinho scored twice for Barça) and eliminated Barça from the competition.

Revenge

A year later the two teams met again in the R16. This time the return leg was held in the Camp Nou. Barça won in England 1-2 with goals from Terry (o.g.) and Eto’o but the match is also remembered for a crunching tackle by Del Horno on an unstoppable Messi, which earned the Spanish defender a red card.

The return leg was spectacular. Ronaldinho scored a trademark goal in the second half and in the dying seconds Lampard equalised from the penalty spot. This time Barça went through to the quarterfinals.

Months later in the group stage

Less than a year later, Barça and Chelsea were drawn in the same group together with Werder Bremen and Levski Sofia for the 2006/07 Champions League. Barça were reigning champions, having won the title against Arsenal in Paris. In the third matchday, Barça lost 1-0 in London, Chelsea’s goal coming from Didier Drogba. A fortnight later, the two sides drew 2-2 in the Camp Nou, with goals from Deco, Gudjohnsen (Barça) and Lampard and Drogba (Chelsea).

A slight advantage for Mou

The two sides are evenly matches, with two wins, two defeats and two draws for both Barça and Mourinho. However, the Portuguese coach has a slight lead given that Chelsea finished top of the group in the 2006/07 season while Barça were second.

Champions League 2009-10 starts

The Champions League starts in earnest on Tuesday evening with the first round of group matches as the race for the final in the Santiago Bernabéu next spring begins.


Some 32 teams are all vying to be crowned the champions of Europe on May 22 and it all starts this week with eight games on Tuesday and another eight on Wednesday.

Group A

The first games in the group see Juventus take on French champions Bordeaux, their first meeting in 24 years, while Maccabi Haifa tackle Bayern Munich.

Louis van Gaal will take the Bundesliga giants into a tough enconter against the Israeli outfit in the Kiryat Eliezer Stadium.

Juventus
Bordeaux

Maccabi Haifa
Bayern Munich



Group B

Manchester United start their campaign to reach a third consecutive final in Turkey as they travel to play Besiktas. The Red Devils do not have a great track record on Turkish soil having one just once in four attempts there.

German champions Wolfsburg are making their debut in the Champions League and they face a stern test against Russian side CSKA Moscow, who are now coached by former Barça B, Sevilla, Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid boss Juande Ramos.

Wolfsburg
CSKA Moscow

Besiktas
Man.United


Group C

AC Milan return to the Champions League on Tuesday after playing in the UEFA Cup last time out. The Rossoneri will meet Olympique Marseille in the Stade Velodrome in what promises to be an exciting encounter.

The other match in Group C pits FC Zurich against Real Madrid as the Swiss side make their debut in the competition as it currently stands, although they did appear in the original European Cup.

FC Zurich
Real Madrid

O.Marseille
AC Milan


Group D

Chelsea against Porto is one of the most attractive fixtures on the opening day with the Blues having Deco, Carvalho, Ferreira, Henrique Hilario and Jose Bosingwa all preparing to face their former club.

Atlético de Madrid meet Cypriot side APOEL in the other encounter with Los Colchoneros looking to put their season back on track after winning only one point from their first two league games.

Chelsea
Porto

Atlético de Madrid
APOEL Nicosia

First stop Milan

The football squad has arrived in Milan ahead of Wednesday evening’s Champions League match against Inter. The weather in Milan was very similar to Barcelona: cloudy and cool.


The players left Barcelona under grey skies and occasional drizzle and found the same weather when they arrived in Milan. The temperature was a cool 15ºC.

A short flight

The charter aircraft left Barcelona airport at 11.20 am and landed in Milan just over an hour later.

Laporta in charge

The Barça party of 19 players plus the coaching staff, is led by Club president Joan Laporta. Vice-presidents Jaume Ferrer and Rafael Yuste, who spoke before the plane left, and Board members Albert Perrín, Josep Anton Colomer, Maria Elena Fort, Jordi Torrent, Patrick Auset, Xavier Bagués and Magda Oranich, also travelled with the squad.

Director of football Txiki Begiristain was unable to travel due to lumbago.

New kit

The players are wearing a new style tracksuit for the first time on this trip. The sky-blue outfit replaces the previous yellow tracksuit.

On arrival, the players went straight to the Hotel Melià Milano, situated in the Via Masaccio. They will stay here until the training session later in the day.

Fixtures confirmed

The Spanish League has announced that Barça will play away to Racing Santander on Tuesday 22nd at 10 pm. On Saturday 26th, Barça will travel away to Malaga (8 pm).


The exact schedule of matchdays 4 and 5 has been officially confirmed. Barça’s match against Racing Santander in El Sardinero has been brought forward to 10 pm on Tuesday 22nd September.

A busy calendar

However, Barça will face two away matches on the spin. Matchday 5 will be away to Malaga in La Rosaleda at 8 pm on Saturday 26th.

This match has been brought forward to Saturday as Barça are playing Dynamo Kiev on the following Tuesday at 8.45 pm in the Camp Nou.

Bojan will recover in Barcelona

Bojan Krkic has returned to Barcelona to continue his recuperation and rehabilitation after undergoing a medical examination in Madrid that tested the slight muscle tear that he has in his left leg.


The striker’s return to action will be supervised by the FC Barcelona medical services who will keep in constant contact with the Spanish Football Federation to let them know how he is.

On August 31 Krkic suffered the knock against Sporting de Gijón.

Fontàs and Romeu

Two Barça players are still with the Spain Under-20 squad for the forthcoming World Cup. Andreu Fontás and Oriol Romeu are at the Las Rozas training complex and are preparing for the first game in the tournament against Egypt on September 25 in Tahiti.

436 minutes without conceding

Since Óscar de Marcos scored in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup against FC Barcelona the Catalan outfit have not conceded a goal and Víctor Valdés has now not been beaten for 436 minutes.


While Barça are renowned for their offensive play, at the back the team also excels as they have managed four consecutive clean sheets. As well as the minutes since De Marcos' goal in that first official game, Pep Guardiola's side have beaten Athletic 3-0 in the second leg, won 1-0 against Shakhtar in the European Super Cup and beaten Sporting 3-0 and Getafe 0-2 in the league.

14 saves by Valdés

With Barça defending as a unit, teh constant pressure of all ten outfield players on the opposition means that other teams do not have many chances in games.

Valdés has had to be sharp though as he has made 14 saves in those matches. Against Athletic in Camp Nou he only had one save to make, while against Sporting de Gijón the keeper was called upon on five occasions.

Defensive priority

In the five official games that Barça have played they have scored 11 times and conceded once. The defensive strength has been vital for the team with Guardiola stating: "The defensive line is the most important to me."

Barça and Inter have met before

FC Barcelona and Inter meet on Wednesday after being drawn together for only the second time ever in the Champions League. On the last occasion the Blaugrana were 3-0 winners in Camp Nou before the second game ended goalless in Giuseppe Meazza.


In total Barça and the Nerrazzurri have met three times in Europe with the first two meetings being in the Inter-City Fairs Cup while the most recent came in the 2002/03 campaign. The balance of the six matches is three wins for the Blaugrana, two draws and one defeat. Overall, Barça and Inter have won one tie each while the Catalan outfit overcame the Italians in group stage of hte Champions League.

Home victory

In the 2002/03 meetings, the teams were drawn together in the second phase of the groups. Radomir Antic led FC Barcelona to victory in Camp Nou as the hosts won 3-0 thanks to goals from Javier Saviola, Philip Cocu and Patrick Kluivert. That victory saw Barça make it eleven consecutive wins in the Champions League, a record that still stands in the competition.

Group progress

In the return leg, played on February 26, 2003, in Italy, there were no goals. It was a result that ended the run of victories and stood out for the tough battle that saw injuries to Cocu while Carles Puyol fractured his cheek after a collision with team-mate Frank de Boer. In that season Barça were knocked out by Juventus.

Out of the Fairs Cup

The previous meeting between the clubs came in the quarter finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969/70. On that occasion Inter proved to be too strong for Barça as the Italians won 1-2 in Camp Nou with Bonisegna, Fusté and Bertini all scoring in the game. FC Barcelona were knocked out of the event after drawing the second game 1-1 in Italy.

Comfortable wins

In 1958-60, the tournament being played over two years, was the first time that Barça and Inter met. In the first leg, the Blaugrana were dominant as they secured a 4-0 winning margin and took a step towards the semi finals. Five months later in the return game, Helenio Herrera's side were the best side yet again as they won 2-4 in Milan and the team went on to lift the trophy for the second time in their history.

Getting back to normal

With Barca’s international players due to gradually make their way back to the city this week, the squad focus their attention on Saturday’s trip to Getafe for the second game of the league season.


After a four day break from training, the squad is back under Josep Guardiola’s orders to prepare for Saturday’s game. There are still many internationals away with their national teams, but by the end of the week they should all be back in Barcelona.

Training at the Ciudad Deportiva

The squad will train this evening at 18.30 at the Ciudad Deportiva Joan Gamper, whilst Wednesday’s session is set for 9.30 and Thursday again sees an evening session, this time at 18.30.

Trip to Madrid set for Saturday itself

As frequently happened last season, the squad will travel to Madrid on the day of the game itself, which kicks off at 18.00.

Piqué scores, Xavi, Puyol and Busquets all start

The four Barca players in Vicente Del Bosque’s Spanish squad, Piqué, Puyol, Busquets and Xavi, all started in Spain’s 5-0 hammering of Belgium and Pique was also one of the goalscorers.


Spain virtually booked their place in South Africa with the win in La Coruña and all the Barca players in the squad played their part in the convincing victory. As well as Pique, Villa and Silva both scored twice in the 5-0 win.

Ibrahimovic gets the points for Sweden

Sweden needed a win against Hungary to keep their hopes of making the World Cup finals alive, but when Hustzi equalised Mehlberg’s earlier goal for the visitors it looked as if they’d have to settle for a draw before Ibrahimovic, playing despite suffering knee problems all week, popped up in injury time to give the Swedes the points. Sweden are third in Group 1, just a point behind Hungary, with Denmark top and virtually guaranteed winning the group.

Henry goal earns France a point

France were held to a 1-1 draw in Paris against Rumania thanks to a Thierry Henry goal and it looks as if they will have to settle for second place in their group and a place in the play offs. France are 4 points behind leaders Serbia and 4 ahead of third placed Austria with three games left to play.

Touré on target for Ivory Coast

Touré Yaya was on the score sheet in Ivory Coast’s 5-0 win over Burkina Fassa, with Didier Drogba also grabbing a brace. The result puts Ivory Coast top of their group and looking good for South Africa.

Easy win for Ukraine

Barca’s latest signing Dmitry Chygrynsky played the full 90 minutes in Ukraine’s easy 5-0 win over Andorra. Ukraine lie third in Group 6, three points behind Croatia and seven adrift of leaders England.

Barça earn first point (1-1)

FC Barcelona Atlètic earned a point from their opening home match in the Miniestadi as they were held by Mallorca B. Jonathan Soriano gave the hosts a very early lead, but were pegged by a goal from Sergi midway through the second period.


In the second game of the season, the Blaugrana gave debuts to Marc Muniesa and Jonathan dos Santos but were still unable to claim victory.

Jonathan opens the scoring

It took Luis Enrique’s side just two minutes to score the first goal however as Soriano pounced on a mistake by Mallorca’s keeper Nauzet to slide in the opener. It was the former Espanyol forward’s first goal for Barça as he had not scored in pre-season and set up the team for what they felt would be a morale-boosting victory.

Balearic pressure

Marc Bartra then went close to doubling the advantage with a firm header while at the other end Mallorca did apply pressure when they were able to as they stepped forward when the home team had the ball.

Working hard

In the centre of Barça Atlètic’s midfield Dos Santos and Thiago Alcántara worked tirelessly as they covered several kilometers to try and help build attacks and that industry almost paid off when Rochina saw a cross-cum-shot almost drift in that the keeper would not have reached. Mallorca were building too and Sergi had a chance to level before the break.

Chances to win

Edu Oriol and Soriano combined in the second period to create a chance while Rochina and Muniesa both had headers that could have clinched the points for Barça, but they were unable to convert.

Mallorca level

Tiredness in the home team’s display then became a factor and Martí almost took advantage as he pushed up but the equalizer came just after the hour mark when Sergi met a pass from Martí and steered home.

Late opportunities

After seeing the visitors draw level, Barça almost lost the game as Mallorca hit the woodwork and then had two chances that Dos Santos, Miño and Espasandín combined to keep out. Next week Luis Enrique’s team will be looking for their first win when Benidorm visit.

Iniesta, a year in paradise

Andrés Iniesta has presented his book "A year in paradise, my treble diary". In his book, the Barça player looks back on some of the most special moments of a historic season.


Joined by friends and family, Andrés Iniesta has presented his book "A year in paradise, my treble diary" at a well attended event in the Roma lounge of the Camp Nou. The player appeared with his co-writers, journalists Dani Senabre and Sique Rodríguez and the editor Ernest Folch. President Joan Laporta also made a point of attending, as did Jacint Borràs, Albert Perrin, Joan Franquesa and Magda Oranich and first team manager, Josep Guardiola.

Memories of an unforgettable year

The book is written from a personal angle, and is divided into eight chapters, with pages drafted by the player himself and personal photos chosen especially by Iniesta. The 119 pages show Iniesta giving an inside view of a season that involved some great and not so great moments. "The game away to Chelsea was the best moment of my whole life. Making so many people so happy was incredible. Then came the three titles, the big win at the Bernabéu and the celebrations. The book also explains how there were difficult times, such as the injury I suffered at the end of the season. The 17 days between the injury and the game with Villarreal and the final in Rome were a nightmare. Luckily, I was able to play and the team won the title".

Ready to play

Though he was there to speak about his book, Iniesta also commented on his current fitness and how keen he is to get back to playing again. "I can sense it won’t be long before I get the medical all-clear and I can feel like a footballer again. I hope it’ll be for the next game. I’ve had a very bad summer, but luckily the leg’s fine now and I’m keen to play".

Faith in the youth

Iniesta was also asked whether he thought there was enough strength in depth in the current squad. "We’ll see at the end of the season whether the squad is too small or not. The youngsters have shown this preseason that they are of the level to fit into the first team and make it competitive enough. The club is working very hard with its youth system and the trainer has a lot of faith in young players".

Chygrynskiy: "I could sign contract on Sunday"

Speaking to journalists after the European Super Cup game against Barcelona yesterday, Shakhtar Donetsk players Dmytro Chygrynskiy and Vasyl Kobin commented on the match.


Chygrynskiy
"It was a rather unusual situation, playing against a team you know will be yours in a few days time. But when the game started, I had a cool head. A lot of people have talked a lot about me in recent days and I have tried to deal with it as good as I can. I have tried not to think too much about it.

We've played well against a great team. In the end, we lost but that's not the end for this team. We have still the league and the Europa League left. I think I will travel to Barcelona on Sunday for the medical tests. I hope everything will be fine by then and that I will be able to sign my contract."

Kobin
"I think we played well today. Actually we managed to do everything the coach had asked us and during the whole match we didn't allow Barcelona to create something near our goal. Except for the goal, of course. I didn't change my shirt after the match. Before the game I decided that this T-shirt would remain with me to remember because these games are somewhat special...

Yes, I remember the action where I could have finished the attack with a shot. Jadson and I understood each other very well there, he allowed me to be in a scoring position. But I had a full-back chasing me in my back and the distance to the goal was long. So I decided to pass."

Eidur Gudjohnsen’s Transfer From Barcelona To Monaco Going Smoothly - Report

With time running out before the transfer window snaps shut for four months, Monaco are poised to make their most notable coup of the summer...

Rumours linking Barcelona and Iceland star Eidur Gudjohnsen with a move to Monaco have been circulating for several weeks. However, yesterday L’Equipe broke the news that a deal might be nearing completion and the Paris-based sportspaper has now confirmed that a deal is close to fruition.

The report hints that Gudjohnsen, who would most likely be used as a forward player in the principality as opposed to the midfield role he often took up with Barca, wants to leave the Catalan giants in order to receive more playing time, something the soon-to-be 31-year-old would be guaranteed at a Monaco side looking for an experienced goal scorer.

Barca’s presence in the principality for the UEFA Super Cup clash against Shakhtar Donetsk on Friday evening – a match they won 1-0 after extra-time – has supposedly acted as a catalyst for this deal to be completed in double-quick time.

L’Equipe has even outlined the terms of the deal, noting that Pep Guardiola’s side are prepared to allow him to leave for no fee. The player is expected to receive a two-year contract worth €3 million-per-season, though this is €1m down on what he presently earns with the Blaugrana.

Monaco face a trip to Sochaux on Saturday evening, as they continue their quest to re-establish themselves as a Ligue 1 heavyweight. Their start to the season has been mixed, with two wins sandwiching a horrible 4-0 defeat away to Nancy.

Squad aim for full fitness on Monday

After Friday night’s European Super Cup victory, there was little time for celebration for the squad who were back in training at the Ciudad Deportiva Joan Gamper this lunchtime.


Barca kick off their defence of the Spanish League title this week and even though they’d just conquered the third European Super Cup in the club’s history, the squad were quick to turn their attention to the next job in hand – Sporting Gijon at the Nou Camp on Monday. The players went to train straight from the airport, with Leo Messi the only member missing, having been given permission by the club to fly to Argentina to join the national squad.

“Tough Game”

The squad arrived at the Ciudad Deportiva Joan Gamper at about 13.15 and the session was dedicated to warming down the players after Friday evening’s exertions, which had undoubtedly taken their toll. Guardiola himself reckoned the game had been: “terribly tough” and the high humidity and poor state of the pitch will certainly have left their mark on the players.

120 minutes

With the game also going into extra time, it’s not too surprising that Guardiola ordered a relatively light training session for his squad as he attempts to get them back up to their best for Monday’s game against Sporting.

Pedro, Prince of Monaco (1-0)

A goal in the nick of time from the Canary Islander in the second half of extra time has handed Barça their third European Super Cup. Now we can talk of a brand new Barça of the Five Cups.

57 years later, Barça can once again boast a ‘Team of the Five Cups’. Like that legendary side led by the great Ladislau Kubala in 1952, Guardiola’s team has won all five tournaments possible in 2009. The Cup, the League, the Champions League and the Super Cups of both Spain and Europe.

In Monaco, Barça have made amends for the disappointment of 2006. But they suffered more than they have done in other finals this year – the Ukrainians held out against Barça’s relentless attack until the very end. Penalties were looming, but then Pedro latched onto a Messi pass to score the only goal of the night, and win the European Super Cup for the third time.

Initial impressions

Barça struggled from the start to find a way past Shakhtar’s rock solid defence. The poor condition of the grass didn’t help matters, preventing Barça from playing their trademark passing game to perfection, but the midfield also made more mistakes than we are used to seeing of them and were receiving the ball in all the wrong areas. This made it hard for midfield and attack to connect – it was uncharacteristic of Barcelona to only shoot once in the whole of the first half hour (Henry, min 8).

Gaining ground

But despite the lack of initial depth, and some sloppy combination play, Barça were undoubtedly the dominant side. And they gradually started making their possession count. In the 32nd minute, Messi had the best chance of the game with a quickly taken free kick, he himself ending the move with a shot from a narrow angle that almost had goalkeeper Pyatov beaten. Barça gained ground in the final minutes of the first half, but all they got out of it was a series of corners that came to nothing.

Messi takes over

Things hardly improved after the break. Barça enjoyed 65% of the possession and bravely opted to move Messi into a more central position in the attack. Playing the Argentinian in the middle also drew Shakhtar’s wider players in, which opened up spaces down the wings. It was Messi, who, in the 73rd minute struck powerfully from the edge of the area, an effort that was turned away only as far as Henry, whose strike was sent over for a corner by the Ukrainian stopper.

Extra time

Ibrahimovic also had a fine chance with a decent shot and a penalty claim in two counter attacking moves. The Swede then came off to make way for Pedro, who sought to open the play more towards the right. But though Barça were in supreme control, Shakhtar always looked dangerous on the counter with their fast, skilful forwards. Henry almost broke the deadlock off a Puyol corner inside the six-yard box in the 86th minute, but time was running out, and the game went into extra time.

Hero Pedro

There were some tired legs out there, and Shakhtar almost won it against the run of play with a penetrating run from Julius that Valdés dealt with in the 98th minute. Barça’s secret weapon, however, was Bojan. He had the first major Barcelona chance of extra time following an amazing slaloming run in the 101st minute. A powerful drive from Alves then skimmed wide of the post. The goals just wouldn’t come, and penalty kicks were becoming an inevitability. But just when it looked like time had run out for both teams, Pedro and Messi produced a one-two and the Canary Islander finished off the move with a delightful conversion that, at long last, had Pyatov beaten.

Barça of the Five Cups (mark II)

The legend of Pep Guardiola at Barça is greater than ever after they have won their fifth title of 2009. At the same time, it brings back memories of 1951/52, when another wonderful FC Barcelona side brought home five trophies.



If Kubala, Gonzalvo III, César, Martín or Segarra could have seen tonight’s game , they would have been proud of this Barça side. In the same way that Ramallets, Biosca and Basora have done in their later years. All of them were members of the great Barça of the Five Cups, which 57 years ago and managed by Fernando Daucik, won the League, the Cup, the Fairs Cup, the Copa Eva Duarte (equivalent to the modern day Spanish Super Cup) and the Martini&Rossi. That amazing generation of footballers, immortalised in a Joan Manel Serrat song that honoured the Barça magic, have now passed the baton on to Pep Guardiola and his side.

2009 simply has to be the best year in the club’s history. And only the 1951/52 campaign is in any way comparable. True, this modern incarnation of the Barça of the Five Cups achieved their aim in two different seasons (2008/09 and 2009/10), but nobody can argue that what Guardiola is doing now is a mere continuation of the good work he did last year. In fact, of the players on show at the Louis II tonight, only Ibrahimovic was not in the squad last season.

From Valencia to Monaco

After an unforgettable month of May, FC Barcelona have won a further two titles, with a playing style that the world can only marvel at. Since May 13, with the win in Valencia that opened the path towards the treble, until August 28 in Monaco, 108 days have passed that have seemed like a never-ending orgy of delight.

First ever treble plus Super Cups

In Rome, Barça became the fifth team to win the European Cup plus their two domestic titles, an achievement only previously managed by Celtic (1967), Ajax (1972), PSV Eindhoven (1988) and Manchester United (1999). But now they have gone even further still. For none of the four aforementioned clubs also managed to win the two Super Cups, as Barça have done in the space of just five days, winning the Spanish and European versions.

And as if that wasn’t enough, it’s not long before Barça will be having a crack at the World Clubs Cup. That’s a trophy Barcelona have never won, but then again, until 2009, they had never won a the treble either...

Guardiola: “The hardest final”

Josep Guardiola had no doubt that tonight’s final was the most difficult Barça have played since he became manager, and praised the team on their effort, personality and character.


Guardiola’s side won the fifth major trophy since he took over as manager tonight, and their second of a season that has barely commenced. “The players have made a huge effort” he said. “They showed strength, personality and character. In other finals we were more into the match rhythm and in the middle of competition, but tonight caught us on the back of our holidays, but we didn’t lose our essence. That has a lot of merit”.

Tough game

Guardiola described the game as “terribly tough”, mentioning especially “the heat and humidity” in the Louis II in Monaco. He also suggested that there were “no positive adjectives” to describe the condition of the pitch.

Embarrassment

“The state of the pitch was an embarrassment” he said, and had harsh words for UEFA. “They talk about looking after the players, saying they should put on a show … and then they make us play on pitches like this. I think they need to look into this. They should have a think. If we had lost, I wouldn’t have said anything about it.”

Praise all round

Pedro, with his 115th minute goal, was the man of the night, but although Guardiola is to be commended for handing the youngster his chance, he said “I didn’t create anything. The players create it all themselves. In whatever case, I congratulate the people that discovered him and helped him grow. I am reaping the benefits”. On other players, he singled out one other. “Bojan did very well, but everybody made huge contributions”.

Asked about Messi, Guardiola was again full of praise. “Leo ended up carrying the team on his back. He is somebody different, special, unique, unrepeatable. He is the best player I have ever seen by some distance and Barça are lucky to have him. He is a fundamental part of the team”.

Equalling a legendary team

The Barça team of 1951-52 won five cups, and now Guardiola’s side has won five major trophies in a year. That parallel is something the coach defines as “an honour. Being able to actively participate with this group and win five titles in a row is great” he said. “I am really satisfied. I don’t know if the legend can get any bigger. All I know is that what we have to do now is get some rest. We have a tough year ahead, but such enthusiasm provides guarantees.”

Pedro makes the difference

On Mircea Lucescu’s complaints about the referee, Guardiola wished to point out that there was a possible penalty on Messi in the first half. “So, one each, and Pedro’s goal made the difference”.

“Messi’s pass was half the goal”

Pedro Rodríguez, the hero of Barça’s third Super Cup triumph, claimed much of the credit for his goal goes down to Leo Messi for providing such a brilliant pass.


The Canary Islander, who scored the only goal of the night at the Louis II in Monaco, explained what happened in detail. “I saw Messi in the middle, gave him the ball and he returned a through ball to me … I am delighted with the goal, but most of all, for winning the title” he said.

Pedro also thanked the fans for chanting his name at the end of the game. “The supporters have always treated me well, and I thank them for that” he said. He also confessed that it hadn’t been an easy game, but that the players’ desire to win had made the difference in the end.

The following are some of the other comments made by the Barça players after the match.

Valdés

“We were lucky enough to win another title, another important one.”
“We have made up for the defeat in 2006.”
“I don’t think it matters how you win a final, winning is what matters.”
“They played a very tactical game, playing on the counter.”
“It was very humid out there and it is hard to cope with such heat. But we aren’t looking for excuses, if it went into extra time we just had to keep playing.”
“It is a very important title and the international coverage required the game to go into extra time.”
“I hope it doesn’t affect us on Monday.”

Alves

“This game taught us a lesson. Football is hard at this level and you can miss out on titles if you relax too much.”
“The team worked really hard.”
“I think the team knows what we are achieving, but to carry on doing great things we need to want it more. We should always have the maximum ambition.”

Piqué

“We expected a difficult game. The conditions, with so much heat and humidity, weren’t the best either.”
“I think the reserve players are making a more and more important contribution. That’s good for Barça.”
“I haven’t been able to say much to Pedro, but I’m sure he’s the happiest man in the world.”
“I hope we can win the World Clubs Cup and become the team of the Six Cups.”

Bojan

“We are all thrilled.”
“It’s a spectacular year. I think Barça are the best placed team in the world. And I’m confident that this year we can put ourselves in a better position still.”
“I told Pedro that his was the best present anybody has given me (it was his 19th birthday tonight).”

Laporta recalls heroes of the 50s

Club President Joan Laporta was thrilled with Pep Guardiola’s team’s fifth title of the year, comparing them with the famous “Team of the Five Cups”.



Following the team’s latest title, Sr Laporta commented: “it’s marvellous and this team really deserve it all. The whole Barca family is thrilled and celebrating this win”.

Tremendous effort

Sr Laporta compared the team’s achievements with the famous “Team of the Five Cups” of the 1950s stressing: “it takes a lot to repeat a record like that and this team’s done it”.

Keep up the motivation

With the new season about to get underway, Sr Laporta insisted: “it’s important that we can keep up the same level of motivation”, whilst warning of the difficulty of the competitions this year. The President also detailed the three values he wants the team to show this season: “prudence, humility and effort”, whilst adding: “we shouldn’t be thinking about winning titles just yet, simply taking each step at a time”.

Hard fought victory

Sr Laporta praised goalscorer Pedro for his: “quality, strength and fighting spirit”, whilst admitting: “Shaktar put up a good fight against us tonight and made it tough for us, but that just adds to the value of our win”.

Chygrynsky

The Barca fans had a chance to see their possible new signing in action in Monaco and Sr Laporta commented: “he looked to be an extraordinary defender to me, with great distribution and good positioning. I’m sure he has the quality to play for Barca”. The President also explained that the deal to bring the Ukranian to the Nou Camp is close to being done and dusted: “we have to put the finishing touches to it, but we should be able to sign him on Saturday”.

Trip to Donetsk

This Saturday, Joan Laporta and Sporting Vice President Rafael Yuste will be travelling to Donetsk to finalise the deal and also take part in the inauguration of Shaktar’s new stadium, the Donbass Arena.

Chygrynsky:“It was a pretty strange situation”

One of the main points of interest in Friday’s Super Cup was the presence of Dmytro Chygrynsky in the Shaktar team, just hours before his possible transfer to Barcelona, a situation he described as “pretty strange”.



Speaking after the game, Chygrynsky commented: “it’s pretty strange to be up against a team that you know you could soon be playing against, but once the game got under way I kept a cool head and just got on with my job”.

Sunday could be key

The Ukraine defender reckons Sunday could be key for finalising his transfer: “ I think I may be in Barcelona on Sunday for my medical. I hope that goes well and I can then sign my contract”.

Transfer speculation

There’s been speculation about eh move for some time, but Chygrynsky insisted: “lots of people have been talking about the move, but I’ve just tried to put it at the back of my mind and continue to do my job”.

Pedro pounces to add to Barça glory

A 115th-minute goal from substitute Pedro Rodríguez finally ended the resistance of FC Shakhtar Donetsk and gave FC Barcelona a third UEFA Super Cup triumph in Monaco.

Dramatic victory
Spain's first treble winners last season, Barcelona had started the new campaign as they ended the old by collecting silverware thanks to last weekend's Spanish Super Cup victory, but Josep Guardiola's team struggled to unpick a well-drilled Shakhtar defence despite enjoying the vast majority of the possession. Shakhtar, bidding to become the 23rd side to lift the UEFA Super Cup and the first Ukrainian winners since FC Dynamo Kyiv's 1975 triumph, held out to take the game into 30 additional minutes and looked to have earned a penalty shoot-out. Pedro had other ideas, however, exchanging passes with the tireless Lionel Messi to finally beat Shakhtar goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov with a low shot and add yet another trophy to Barça's ever-expanding collection.

Henry opening
Much attention pre-match focused on Barcelona's marquee summer signing Zlatan Ibrahimović while Messi picked up the Club Footballer of the Year and Best Forward prizes at the UEFA Club Football Awards on Thursday yet it was the third member of Josep Guardiola's attack who was first to threaten. Nine minutes in, Thierry Henry expertly shook off Shakhtar captain Darijo Srna with a perfectly-executed turn before sending a fizzing shot fractionally too high from the edge of the area.

Messi denied
Although Victor Valdés had to race from his line to whip the ball off the toes of Luiz Adriano neither goalkeeper was called into serious action until the 33rd minute, when Messi played a swift one-two with Xavi Hernández and raced into the area only for Pyatov to smother his shot. The Argentinian forward had another shooting opportunity as half-time approached but was unable to beat Shakhtar's defensive wall with his curling free-kick as the Spanish side stepped up their bid to add to their triumphs in this competition in 1992 and 1997.

Spectacular efforts
Still without Andrés Iniesta due to a thigh injury that has kept the midfielder on the sidelines since the UEFA Champions League final, Barcelona nevertheless continued to largely control the tempo as the second half kicked off but struggled to carve out clear chances, Ibrahimović's sliced attempt encapsulating their difficulties. Henry then failed to connect with an ambitious overhead kick before Pyatov produced two smart saves in quick succession to deny Messi and Henry.

Extra-time excitement
Messi was then unable to make the most of the time afford to him by Daniel Alves's cross, Pyatov easily gathering his weak right-foot effort, while Henry nearly turned in Carles Puyol's flick-on from a corner. With neither side able to find a breakthrough the match moved into extra time, where the introduction of Julius Aghahowa added verve to the Shakhtar attack, Valdés diving to his left to push away the striker's low shot. It was to be a Barcelona replacement who had the decisive word, however, Srna hacking away one Pedro effort yet the 22-year-old would not be denied and finally ended Shakhtar's resolve after a typically intricate move to take the trophy to Spain again.

Third European Super Cup

In Monaco, Barça have won the third European Super Cup in club history. That means they join Liverpool in terms of titles won, a tally only topped by Milan.


FC Barcelona continue to consolidate their place among the elite of European football. In May they joined the small selection of clubs that have won three European Cups, and on Friday they have added their third Super Cup. They did so in Monaco following an intense game with Shakhtar Donetsk. Goal scored by Pedro tipped the game in favour of the Champions League winners against last season’s UEFA Cup winners.

Milan top the list

With three wins, Barça now have as many titles as Liverpool, and only Milan can claim to have won the cup more than the English and Catalan outfits. Behind them there are four teams that have won the European Super Cup twice, Ajax, Anderlecht, Valencia and Juventus, and fifteen one-time winners.

First wins against Germans

Although the cup has been played for since 1973, Barça took 19 years to win it, having lost on their first three attempts against Nottingham Forest (1979), Aston Villa (1982) and Milan (1989). But after finally winning the European Cup at Wembley, Barça then beat Werder Bremen by drawing 1-1 away and winning 2-1 in the return at the Camp Nou.

In 1997, with Louis van Gaal on the bench, Barça won it again, this time beating then champions of Europe Borussia Dortmund. That was the last time that the game was played over two legs and the Cup Winners Cup winners won at the Camp Nou (2-0) before drawing in Germany (1-1).

Spanish League Preview: Round 1

Barça begin the defence of their League title on Monday evening, but the rest of La Liga kicks off this weekend. Madrid again look the biggest threat to Barça's retaining the title, but Seville,Atletico and Valencia will also be looking to challenge.


Barca finished last season 9 points clear of runners up Madrid, who were themselves another 7 points ahead of third placed Seville. This year looks like being another two-horse race with Madrid having spent heavily during the summer to beef up their attempt to retake the title. There’ll also be plenty of interest in how the newly promoted teams manage, with Zaragoza, Tenerife and Jerez all looking to make their marks in the top flight.

Madrid stars face Deportivo

Real Madrid’s new look team begin their campaign at the Bernabeu on Saturday against Deportivo. The big name signings -Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema and Xabier Alonso should all be on show, whilst Pepe sits out the first of his five-game ban. Deportivo finished seventh last season and though they have lost Verdu and Guzman, Lotina will be looking to Brazilian midfielder Juca signed from Partisan Belgrade in the summer, to fire his young side to an early shock.
Saturday’s other game is between two of the promoted teams with Tenerife visiting a Zaragoza outfit strengthened by the summer signing of Jermaine Pennant from Liverpool.

Tough start for Seville

Sunday’s biggest match sees Seville visit the Mestalla. Seville signed striker Negredo in the summer and with Kanoute and Luis Fabiano also available up front they will present problems for most defences as they strive to better last season’s third spot. Valencia themselves managed to hold on to Villa and Silva and must hope for a top four finish this time around.

After a successful pre-season Atletico Madrid kick of the new campaign with a trip to Malaga. The hosts are now sponsored by William Hill, but despite this the UK bookies still have Atletico narrow favourites to win the game.

Valverde out to keep up Pellegrini’s good work

Spain’s other European representatives Villarreal visit Pamplona to take on Camacho’s Osasuna without Pellegrini but with new boss Ernesto Valverde determined to keep the team up amongst the elite.In other games, Espanyol travel to Bilbao, Jerez make their top flight debut at Mallorca, Getafe are at Racing Santander and Valladolid travel to Almeria.

The Spanish League Round Up will appear at fcbarcelona.cat on Monday.

A clash of champions

The winners of last season’s Champions league and UEFA Cup, FC Barcelona and Shakhtar Donetsk, meet on Friday night in Monaco to claim the European Super Cup. Kick-off is at 8.45 pm local time.

Pep Guardiola’s Barça team have an historic opportunity to add their already impressive list of achievements. In the space of just a few months they have accumulated the Spanish Cup, the Spanish League, the Champions League and the Spanish Super Cup. And now they can make it five out of five by beating the UEFA Cup champions Shakhtar Donetsk to lift the European Super Cup in the Stade Louis II.

It will be Barça’s seventh European Super Cup . The Club hasn’t had much luck in the competition up to now and has won it only twice, both times when the trophy was disputed over two legs. Since the format was changed to a single match final, Barça’s only participation was the sad 3-0 defeat against Sevilla in 2006.

All travel to Monaco

With Sevilla in mind, the objective is to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. The coaching staff have kept to the usual routine for away matches and have taken all 24 available senior squad players to Monaco, including Márquez and Iniesta, who are still recovering from injury and will definitely not be fit to play. The players went through their paces on Thursday evening in the final training session before the mach, held on the pitch of the stadium itself and were able to confirm that the playing surface leaves much to be desired.

Familiar faces

Shakhtar Donetsk is well known to the Barça camp. The two sides met in the group stage of last season’s Champions League when they shared the honours with Barça winning 2-1 in the Ukraine while Shakhtar took the points in Catalonia with a 3-2 victory in the Camp Nou. Both games were a delight to watch, which comes as no surprise from two teams that like to play good football.

Dmytro Chygrynskyy

One of the stars of the Ukrainian team coached by Mircea Lucescu is Dmytro Chygrynskyi , the elegant central defender who announced on Thursday that he would be moving to FC Barcelona after Friday’s match. No doubt all eyes will be on him. Most of Shakhtar’s other leading lights are foreigners, mainly Brazilians. They’ll be missing Brandao, but the attacking threesome of Ilsinho, Luiz Adriano and Fernandinho has more than enough quality to keep their side in the European elite.

Seventh Super Cup final

Barça play in the European Super Cup for the seventh time tonight, thus equalling Milan’s all-time record.


Just by taking part in tonight’s game at the Louis II, Barça are making history, as they equal Milan’s tally of seven appearances in a competition that has been held since 1973.

The ‘rossoneri’ have a record five titles. Barça, despite competing six times before, have only brought home the trophy twice.

1979: Nottingham Forest

The Cup Winners Cup win in Basel earned Barça the right to contest the trophy for the first time. It was a two-legged affair in those days, and things got under way with 1-0 defeat away to the late Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest, the English side hitting the post three times. In the return, Roberto ‘Dinamita’ put Barça ahead, but Scottish international Kenny Burns grabbed an equaliser for Forest to win the cup 2-1 on aggregate.

1982: Aston Villa

Barça had another English side to tackle in their second appearance, and once again missed out on the silverware. This time the opposition was Aston Villa, and the 1-0 win in Barcelona, thanks to a Marcos Alonso goal, proved insufficient. In the return at Villa Park, the Birmingham club took the game into extra time thanks to a Gary Shaw effort, and eventually sentenced the tie with goals from Gordon Cowans and Ken McNaught (3-0).

1989: Milan

Neither was it third time lucky for FCB. AC Milan, led by Arrigo Sacchi, were dominating European football in the late 1980s, and went ahead at the Camp Nou thanks to the great Van Basten. But Guillermo Amor levelled affairs to make it 1-1. At the San Siro, an Evani free kick made it 1-0 to the Italians, and Barça failed to conjure up a response.

1992: Werder Bremen

After the famous win at Wembley, Barça qualified for their fourth Super Cup, this time against German outfit Werder Bremen. Johan Cruyff’s Dream Team collected an important 1-1 draw at the Weserstadion, Julio Salinas scoring for Barça and Klaus Allofs for the Bundesliga side. In the return leg at the Camp Nou, FCB were finally able to celebrate a win in this competition, beating the Germans 2-1 with goals from Hristo Stoitchkov and Andoni Goikoetxea (Wynton Rufer getting the consolation for Werder).

1997: Borussia Dortmund

Barça only took five years to win the title a second time, and once again this was against a German side, Borussia Dortmund. This was the last ever edition to be played over two legs, and Barça got off to the ideal start with a 2-0 win at the Camp Nou thanks to goals from Rivaldo and Luis Enrique. In Germany, an early Giovanni Silva strike as good as sentenced things, rendering Jörg Heinrich’s consolation goal meaningless.

2006: Sevilla

Barça have foul memories of their only experience to date of the new format of a single match played in Monaco. Frank Rijkaard’s star studded side led by Ronaldinho were delighting the world with their football, but not on this particular night. Renato, Kanouté and Maresca were all on target in a 3-0 win for the impressive Andalusians on a night the travelling Barça supporters will prefer to forget.

Barça v Shakhtar: Did you know?

FC Barcelona and Here we give you some of the facts and figures surrounding the match.


► Barça and Shakhtar have met six times before with three wins for Barça, two for Shakhtar and one draw. They’ve never met in a European Super Cup final.

► Barça lost their first three Super Cup finals against Nottingham Forest in 1979, Aston Villa in 1982 and AC Milan in 1989. All three finals were played over two legs.

► Barça have won the competition twice. Johan Cruyff’s team won it for the first time in 1992 beating Werder Bremen 2-3 on aggregate.

► The second came five years later against another Bundesliga club, Borussia Dortmund. The aggregate score this time was 3-1.

► The last time Barça took part in the competition was in 2006. It was the first final held in Monaco and Barça, managed by Frank Rijkaard, lost 3-0 to Sevilla.

► Barça share the record for the most appearances in the competition, seven, with AC Milan. However, the Italians have won it the most times – five. A win on Friday would put Barça in second place in terms of Cups won, equal with Ajax and Liverpool.

► Josep Guardiola played in the return leg of the 1992 final against Werder Bremen.

► Shakhtar manager, Mircea Lucescu, was the manager of the Galatasaray side that won the competition in 2000, beating Real Madrid 2-1. Another win on Friday would put him in a select group of managers who have won it twice - Alex Ferguson, Raymond Goethals, Arrigo Sacchi, Louis Van Gaal and Carlo Ancelotti.

► Barça have only played twice in the Stade Louis II. Apart from the 2006 final against Sevilla, Barça played there in the group stage of the Champions League in the 1993/94 season, winning 0-1 thanks to a goal from Hristo Stoitchkov. Current coach Pep Guardiola featured in Barça’s starting line-up.

► Only seven players from the current Barça squad took part in the 2006 final: Puyol, Xavi, Gudjohnsen, Messi, Márquez and Iniesta. The last two will miss Friday’s match due to injury.

► Nobody in the Shakhtar squad has ever played in the European Super Cup.

► Touré Yaya will be up against some of his former team-mates from his time with Metalurg Donetsk, who have since made the move to Shakhtar: Yuiry Virt, Olexandr Kucher and Olexiy Polyanskiy.

► If Carles Puyol plays this Friday it will be his 100th game in UEFA competitions:

► Mircea Lucescu and Darijo Srna were voted best manager and best player in the Ukrainian Premier League.

► This Saturday, Shakhtar will inaugurate their new stadium, the Donbass Arena. Among the attractions will be a performance by Beyoncé Knowles.

Barcelona's Dani Alves Keen To Pick Up More Medals

Barcelona are aiming for more silverware and so is their star full-back...

Daniel Alves has joked ahead of the European Super Cup in Monaco that if he continues to win more trophies and medals then he may have to buy a bigger house.

The Brazilian full-back has continued to collect prizes since moving to Barcelona from Sevilla last summer as he added a fourth piece of silverware to his collection at Camp Nou alone.

A treble last term and Spanish Super Cup this month added to two UEFA Cup medals, a European Super Cup, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup haul with Sevilla.

"At home, I have created some extra space for my medals. And if I need to rent a bigger house, no problem," he told reporters in Monaco.

"I do not like to see empty spaces in my trophy room and I want to win at least ten or 12 more."

If Alves is to add to his collection then he will have to be on form for Barca as they take on UEFA Cup winners Shakhtar Donetsk.

"We have to concentrate very hard because it’s very motivating for the opponent to be able to beat a European champion like Barca. We hope to play well and that there are no surprises," he added.

"If the pitch is bad it’ll be bad for both sides. Whatever the case we’re here to win the title independently of the state of the pitch."

Alves aiming to turn the tables

Having helped defeat future employers FC Barcelona in the UEFA Super Cup three years ago, Daniel Alves is urging his team-mates not to repeat their mistakes of 2006 as they prepare to take on FC Shakhtar Donetsk in Monaco.

'Learning lessons'
Then the marauding right-back was a key component of the Sevilla FC side that dismantled Barça at the Stade Louis II, running out 3-0 winners to add the UEFA Super Cup to the UEFA Cup won three months earlier. "I was happy to win the Super Cup with Sevilla and now I'll try to win with another team," Alves told the pre-match press conference. "People who have seen both sides of the coin learn their lessons. Our players are intelligent and know that in a final, if you are not in the right mind, you are bound to encounter surprises. They won't repeat the same mistakes, that would not be the mark of intelligent people."

Nothing to lose
The 26-year-old, who also took part in this competition in 2007 when Sevilla lost 3-1 to AC Milan in a match overshadowed by the death of Antonio Puerta, and acknowledges that he is in a different position this year compared to 2006 when his former club were considered underdogs. "It's good to play against a team who is stronger than you because you have little to lose," explained Alves, who sat out the defeat of Manchester United FC in the UEFA Champions League final in May because of injury. "Now we have to be very positive to avoid any surprises and have a humble approach, keep working hard and try to win. We can't have any excuses. We've come here to win the Super Cup. We have come here with one aim and we have to overcome all difficulties if we are to achieve that."

Ibrahimović in
Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola has largely kept faith with the same players who swept all before them last season, with one notable exception – Samuel Eto'o, who scored the opener against United in Rome, has gone to FC Internazionale Milano with Swedish international Zlatan Ibrahimović moving to the Camp Nou. "You can never make comparisons, because every player does things his own way," Alves added. "Ibrahimović is a great player who will contribute in his own style. He's different from what we had and we're all delighted to have him. We've welcomed him into the group and I'm sure he has a great contribution to make."

Old friends offer no quarter in Monaco

FC Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola and his FC Shakhtar Donetsk counterpart Mircea Lucescu will put their friendship aside for 90 minutes when their sides meet in Monaco with the UEFA Super Cup at stake.

Mutual respect
The pair first crossed paths in Italy. Guardiola had a double stint at Brescia Calcio between 2001 and 2003 staying in the same flat Lucescu had occupied when he was coach of the club in the 1990s. From that unlikely source, their friendship developed. "We know each other very well, we've become great friends and I'm sure we will remain close," said Lucescu, coach of the first Ukrainian side to compete in the UEFA Super Cup since FC Dynamo Kyiv. "I have a lot of respect for him as a coach and I hope he has the same respect for me. We're going to do our talking on the field."

'Wonderful show'
The 64-year-old Romanian guided Shakhtar to UEFA Cup glory in May but acknowledges that Monaco represents another step up with the Pitmen aiming to become the country's first UEFA Super Cup winners since Dynamo defeated FC Bayern München in 1975. "With everything Barcelona did last year, they must be favourites, but it's not going to be easy," said Lucescu, bidding to become the sixth coach to win this competition twice following his triumph with Galatasaray SK in 2000. "It's going to be a wonderful show, two wonderful teams with similar styles who have great technical qualities and love to play football. I'm delighted to be back here; Shakhtar are a team with a big future."

Memorable triumphs
The teams met in last season's UEFA Champions League group stage, each recording an away win but only Barça progressing to the first knockout round as Shakhtar dropped into the UEFA Cup. The Ukrainian club have a decent record against their opponents with two wins from six previous meetings, including a 3-2 triumph at the Camp Nou last December, a result which has left its mark on Guardiola. "We are ready, it's a big challenge for us," said the Barcelona coach. "Shakhtar beat us last season and then had an extraordinary UEFA Cup campaign. Very few teams can dominate a match like Shakhtar can. Lucescu and some of his players have been there for four or five years and they're doing a good job."

'No guarantee'
The UEFA Champions League holders are on the verge of completing the signing of Shakhtar centre-back Dmytro Chygrynskiy but of more immediate concern to the coach is the opportunity to claim a sixth piece of silverware in little over a year following last weekend's Spanish Super Cup victory against Athletic Club Bilbao. "In the past eleven years, the UEFA Cup winners have won this trophy seven times and the Champions League only four," pointed out Guardiola, whose team have triumphed in this competition twice previously but were beaten 3-0 by Sevilla FC on their last appearance in 2006. "That's something to consider. This is very difficult, far more so than people might consider and we have to prepare for that. We will attempt to win of course. There's no guarantee of that but it's my job to ensure we do."

Lionel Messi Wins European Club Footballer Of The Year Award

Lionel Messi is officially the best player in Europe, according to UEFA, who today named him as both the overall winner of the European Club Footballer of the Year award and as the Europea Club Forward of the Year for his exploits when his club, Barcelona, swept all before them.

The overall prize saw Messi shortlisted alongside the other three positional winners, who are revealed below, before he received the grand award.

The shortlists, as well as the final winners, were selected by sixteen of Europe's top coaches, namely those who led their sides to the First Knockout Round of last year's competition.

As expected, FC Barcelona dominated the nominations and ended up scooping two of the possible five accolades, while English sides such as Manchester United and Chelsea - not to mention Liverpool - were not far behind. Every single nominee came from one of these four clubs.

Here we offer a full examination of each winner, as well as a look at the players each one defeated to earn their prize (or, in the case of Messi, prizes.)

EUROPEAN CLUB FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Lionel Messi

Shortlisted: Edwin van der Sar, John Terry, Xavi


After the four awards below were given out, the respective winners gathered to hear which player out of these four cardinal positions was judged to be Europe's best.

In the end, and to the surprise of few, Messi garnered the award.

The young Argentine was asked to select his crowning moment from a memorable year, but in particularly bashful fashion he offered this response:

"It's really difficult to pick just one. It was an unbelievable year which gave me so much happiness and success."




EUROPEAN CLUB FORWARD OF THE YEAR
Winner: Lionel Messi

Shortlisted: Samuel Eto'o, Cristiano Ronaldo


The Argentine was up against some stiff competition for the best forward prize, in the shape of Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, who reached the final of the Champions League and won the Premier League with Manchester United, and his own former team-mate Samuel Eto'o, now in Italy at Inter.

All told, Messi hit nine Champions League goals last season, making him the most prolific player in the contest. He also provided five decisive assists for teammates.




EUROPEAN CLUB MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Xavi

Shortlisted: Andres Iniesta, Steven Gerrard


Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez was also confirmed as UEFA's club midfielder of the year at today's Champions League draw in Moncao, having beaten off competition from club colleague Andres Iniesta and Liverpool's talismanic skipper Steven Gerrard.

The Spaniard was a part of the smooth-passing, aesthetically pleasing Blaugrana side who attracted plenty of praise from neutrals as they collected an astonishing treble of trophies, with their European win supplementing victories in the Copa del Rey and La Liga.




EUROPEAN CLUB DEFENDER OF THE YEAR

Winner: John Terry
Shortlisted: Gerard Pique, Nemanja Vidic


Chelsea defender John Terry was earlier named as UEFA's club defender of the year, having emerged as the best from a trio of top contenders which was completed by Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic and Barcelona's Gerard Pique.

The lion-hearted Englishman was superb last season as the Blues won the FA Cup, once again showing all the leadership and commitment of a player who has now picked up this award three times.

"I think just to train hard every day, that's something I try and do myself," he revealed. "Especially for myself, not to get my hands on that trophy (the Champions League) is enough motivation for me. And that's something I'm aiming to do, to lift that trophy with Chelsea Football Club."



EUROPEAN CLUB GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR

Winner: Edwin van der Sar
Shortlisted: Victor Valdes, Petr Cech


Edwin van der Sar was today confirmed as UEFA's official club goalkeeper of the year, having been named as the continent's top glovesman ahead of the draw for the Champions League today in Monaco.

The Manchester United keeper fought off a challenge from Chelsea's Petr Cech, the winner of the award last year, and Barcelona's Victor Valdes, who of course won a treble with the Catalans last season.

Van der Sar enjoyed something of a renaissance last season, defying the critics who felt that he was too old at 38 to keep his place at Old Trafford to set a clutch of clean sheet records.