Real Betis - Barcelona: Saturday 3pm EST

By: Isaiah | March 28th, 2008

In a world obsessed with little orange globes being thrown at metal circles 10 feet in the air by amateurs (that would be my world), there comes a ray of shining hope: Real Betis hosts FC Barcelona. I just had to rewrite my entire opening to this post because it was just announced that the RFEF and company (specifically the disciplinary committee, el Comité Español de Disciplina Deportiva (CEDD), has decided to allow Betis to play their games at home in the Ruiz de Lopera. While I disagree with stadium closures on a any sort of regular basis, I don’t understand why the CEDD would go back on its punishment, which hits Betis where it hurts: the wallet. So no Vicente Calderon, no random Sevilla stadium, just the good old Ruiz de Lopera. A complete farce, really. What are the rules for, anyway?

Okay, so let’s just get on with this preview because there is much to discuss. The squad list has been released:

Valdés, Pinto, Xavi, Puyol, Iniesta, Henry, Eto’o, Touré Yayá, Thuram, Abidal, Edmilson, Zambrotta, Gudjohnsen, Sylvinho, Ezquerro, Bojan, Giovani dos Santos, Víctor Sánchez

The main entrant is Puyol and the main absence is, as always, Ronaldinho. He and Deco are basically just out forever, aren’t they? Puyol is probably still questionable, but will get the start basically if he can walk. Abidal is a capable replacement for him in the middle, meaning Sylvinho could either get the start or become the first defensive sub (technically subbing in for Puyol, but taking Abidal’s left-sided role). I hope Captain Hairy-Chest can go the full 90, but that seems unlikely given the recent nature of his injury.* Giovani dos Santos returns to the lineup after a decently long absence and so does Santi Ezquerro. Whoopie for that last one. Gio’s presence means that Pedrito gets dropped back to Barca B, but that’s not really a big deal, it’s the extra offensive option that I like to see. What I don’t understand is that Gio has publicly stated that he’ll need ankle surgery at the end of the year, suggesting that he’s not really that close to 100%…so why is he in the squad? I understand injuries and actually have an ankle injury right now that is giving me fits, so I know that sometimes you can play through pain for a while, but surgery should not be taken lightly and an injury that requires it should be dealt with now, especially in a player so young. Were Gio such a super stud now that he was indispensable, that would change the equation, but I don’t believe he’s the Barcelona version of Popeye’s spinach. And for the record, I also don’t believe Gio is our kryptonite. He’s merely 18 and needs to grow into the squad.

So we’ve got Toure and Henry, but we’re missing Milito at the back. So here’s the starting lineup I expect to see:

Valdes, Zambrotta, Puyol, Thuram, Abidal, Toure, Xavi, Iniesta, Bojan, Eto’o, Henry

I could very easily see Abidal starting in place of Thuram and Sylvinho taking the left wing spot, but that seems the worse of the two options, so I went with the classical 2 central defenders look, even if neither Thuram nor Puyol is accustomed to life on the left. Leaving Guddie on the bench to start the game would mirror previous tactical choices and would provide Rijkaard with more options heading into the second half. Not that Rijkaard makes halftime substitutions, for whatever reason (and I know he has his reasons; there must be a school of coaching that embodies the Bunker Hill mentality: “Don’t shoot until you can see the whites of their eyes”…though generally speaking I agree with Rijkaard’s substitutions, but rarely do I agree with the timing. I wonder if he cares?).

Betis is not known for its firepower (33 league goals as compared to Barca’s 58), but Barcelona’s official site is still wary of their strikers. Edu and Pavone, the article says, have contributed 17 of the team’s 33 goals. So if you shut them down, you effectively shut down half the team’s scoring, which something that Toure would do well to note. Then go in and kill. Release the hounds! I can just hear the tearing of flesh and breaking of bone…dammit I just kind of creeped myself out there. Remember, though, that Betis is the reason we didn’t win the league last year. And I want revenge for that last minute asleep-at-the-wheel moment in which we allowed Rafael Sobis to shoot through the defense and score.*

To the statistics:

Betis’ home record: 6W-3D-5L; 23GF, 19GA
Barcelona away record: 4W-7D-3L; 20F, 17GA

Obviously Barcelona’s away record is not what blaugrana fans would like, but the verdiblancos sitting 3 points out of relegation (though 13th in the table, amazingly enough) are more in a position to complain. Especially if you consider that Barcelona has the fewest number of away losses in the league (3), though their 19 points earned away is not particularly stunning. That Betis struggles to hold its own at home is clearly something Barcelona has to take advantage of, especially is able to take on Madrid with any success on Sunday. However, statistically, this is a toss-up. But if you think about quality, run of form, and basically anything else, you get but one answer and that is today’s official prediction: 3-1 Barcelona. I think we take it to ‘em and make em pay.

*What’s up with Sobis? He came over with so much potential and doesn’t seem to have realized even half of it. Is it because he plays for Betis? Have injuries really hampered him? I don’t watch Betis very often, so I don’t know if he has had issues adapting or what…maybe there was too much pressure on him too early? He is 22, though, so he should either be coming into his own or moving on to a club that can better help him find the run of form he seemed capable of just a year ago.

Where to Watch: The best places to watch FC Barcelona in action.