Dmytro Chygrynskiy

He is one of the most expensive defenders in the club's history after €25 million transfer in August...... At the age of 20 he captained his side in the Ukrainian Cup final, in which Donetsk beat Dynamo Kiev 2-0. And last season he helped the team to recover from the disappointment of being knocked out of the Champions League by going on to win the UEFA Cup against Werder Bremen. At this stage, the Ukrainian says overcoming the language barrier is the most important thing. "I am trying to integrate into the team as fast as possible," he stated. "I am learning Spanish and everyday I have one hour classes. So it's just a question of time before it becomes better and better. But I also have a lot of people around who help me if I don't understand something." The effort and the adjustment is clearly worth it, as Chygrynskiy admits he is realising a dream come true when he join Barcelona.

Cultural Leonesa 0-2 Barcelona

2 goals from Pedro give a confortable win to Barcelona....

In this game,Guardiola opted for a mixture of youth and experience with Ivan Benitez starting alongside Rafael Marquez, Dmytro Chygrynskiy and Maxwell at the back while Jeffren Suarez and Pedro started up top with Bojan Krkic, who continues his return from injury.Although Barca failed to produce the slick football we are used to seeing from the first eleven they still looked pretty comfortable and the breakthrough came five minutes before the interval .The Blaugrana maintained their dominance of possession until the end to see out a comfortable two goal victory and Guardiola will be pleased to come through this tie with a comfortable victory after resting a number of first team stars. Barca can now redirect their attention to the Primera Liga Saturday's testing trip to Pamplona to take on Osasuna on Saturday.

Alcorcon Trashed Real Madrid !!!

An embarrassing night against Segunda B opponents...

Players of Segunda Division B side Alcorcon are still on a high after their remarkable 4-0 trouncing of White Giant last night in the Copa del Rey fourth round, first leg. Two goal hero Borja Gomez said the entire team deserved ten out of ten for producing the historic win and said the win was beyond their wildest dreams. "I give the team ten out of ten. Against an opponent like Madrid you always have a lot of motivation. For them it is difficult to come to play a game like this and we learned to exploit. It is beyond what we dreamed," he admitted. Goalkeeper Juanma who produced some fine saves for the hosts said that the have a great opportunity to progress to the fifth round, though insists that Madrid are still favourites. "The first half was spectacular, and we ourselves believe what we have done. Now we're on cloud nine. It is an opportunity and a window. This is football and they are still the favourites. in the Bernabeu," he remarked.

Barcelona 6-1 Real Zaragoza (Video)

Barcelona 6-1 Real Zaragoza (Picture)

Real Zaragoza Had Been Eaten Alive On The Battlefield !!!

They slayed Real Zaragoza 6-1 thanks to a hat-trick from Seydou Keita, a double from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and a cherry-on-top strike from Lionel Messi...

After the midweek shock at home to Rubin Kazan, Barcelona began the game slightly more tentatively than usual, but it did not stop them producing the first shot on target after just three minutes. 25th minute The incessant pressure finally broke the Aragon resistance when Messi hooked in a cross from the right and Seydou Keita threw himself forward to send his diving header into the top corner. 28th minute And it was 2-0 four minutes later thanks to Ibrahimovic, who rifled in a thunderbolt of a freekick 25 yards out which Carrizo could only push into the back of his own net. 41th minute Ibrahimovic ran onto Xavi’s 30-yard through pass and squared it past Carrizo for Keita to stab the ball into the empty net from close range. 55th minute Keita turned provider this time when he whipped in a low cross from the left and Ibrahimovic easily nudged ahead of his marker and flicked the ball home. 77th minute Ewerthon’s shot inside the box was parried away by Valdes, but Barca failed to clear their lines, allowing Pedro Lopez to arrow in a perfectly placed shot from the edge of the area. 79th minute Messi finally had one of his own to celebrate with a deft chip over Carrizo after being set-up by Andres Iniesta. 86th minute Keita wrapped up his first ever hat-trick in a Barca shirt when he connected with Iniesta’s corner and thumped a header into the net.

Top of the Match

Keita S.
Barcelona
Rating

Flop of the Match

Carrizo J.
Zaragoza

Rating

Barcelona vs Real Zaragoza Preview !!!

FORM GUIDE FOR BOTH TEAMS

Barcelona Oct 20 Barcelona 1-2 Rubin Kazan (UEFA Champions League) Oct 17 Valencia 0-0 Barcelona (La Liga) Oct 3 Barcelona 1-0 Almeria (La Liga) Sept 29 Barcelona 2-0 Dynamo Kiev (UEFA Champions League) Sept 26 Malaga 0-2 Barcelona (La Liga)
Real Zaragoza Oct 18 Real Zaragoza 2-2 Racing Santander (La Liga) Oct 3 Atletico Madrid 2-1 Real Zaragoza (La Liga) Sept 27 Real Zaragoza 3-0 Getafe (La Liga) Sept 24 Sporting Gijon 1-1 Real Zaragoza (La Liga) Sept 20 Real Zaragoza 1-2 Real Valladolid (La Liga)

TEAM NEWS

Barcelona Dmytro Chygrynskiy is available again after a month on the sidelines and should replace Rafael Marquez. Daniel Alves is set to miss three weeks and Thierry Henry is still a week away from full fitness.
Probable Starting XI (4-3-3) formation: Valdes – Puyol, Pique, Chygrynskiy, Abidal – Keita, Xavi, Iniesta – Messi, Ibrahimovic, Pedro

Real Zaragoza Leonardo Ponzio is suspended while Ikechukwu Uche is a long-term absentee with a cruciate ligament injury. Otherwise Marcelino has a full squad to chose from.
Probable Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Carrizo– Paredes, Pavon, Ayala, Pulido – Gabi, Songo'o, Pennant, Aguilar, Lafita – Arizmendi.

Barcelona

When the pressure is on for Barcelona, one man who always gets his head down and works his way out of the mire is Andres Iniesta. If the Blaugrana misfire in this tie, he will chase everything until he or someone else makes something happen.

Real Zaragoza

Veteran defender Roberto Ayala will need to summon up all his experience and defensive craft to keep Barca at bay. A big performance from the Argentine may give the Blanquillos a surprise result here.

PREDICTION

Barcelona are renowned for winning games early and then controlling the remainder of the fixture at their pace. If Zaragoza can frustrate them in the first half hour, the hosts may start to feel the pressure. If they score early, however, it could be a familiar rout.

Barcelona 3-1 Real Zaragoza

Carles Puyol Contract Renewal

Barcelona technical secretary Txiki Begiristain has now revealed how happy he is that Puyol has agreed to a new deal ....

He insisted that the club always wanted their iconic defender to stay.After weeks of negotiations, Barcelona captain has agreed to put pen to paper on a new contract that will see him finish his career with the Catalan outfit.

"It wasn't a problem to come to an agreement," Begiristain affirmed to Marca.

"We told him that if the difficulty was an extra year, it wasn't a problem. We are delighted that it will be three years.

"I was hoping that he would stay. He is a great player - he deserves it and he has earned it.

"We have given him a future at Barcelona, a leading role and the possibility of having a player who starts and ends [his career] with Barca."

Rafael Marquez, Yaya Toure and Andres Iniesta are also negotiating new contracts with the Blaugrana, and Begiristain is hopeful that an agreement with each player is not too far off.

"We are in negotiations over the contracts of Toure and Iniesta - they are different situations, but we want a quick outcome.

"With regard to Marquez, I would like it to be faster as he should have our trust."

Don't Blame Messi ....!!!

After receiving much criticism for his displays with Argentina, Messi was criticised for his quiet performances in the 0-0 draw with Valencia last weekend and the UEFA Champions League defeat to Rubin Kazan midweek.

Next up for the treble champions is the visit of Real Zaragoza to Camp Nou, as they look to secure their first win in three games.

What's Problem With You Barcelona ??

The result for last 2 match were not very good for the european champion....
A scoreless draw last weekend away to Valencia was followed by a surprise home defeat against Rubin Kazan in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday but Iniesta insists that it is not as bad as has been suggested.

"It's a little soon to talk about crises. I don't think a draw at Valencia is a setback. Losing at home in the Champions League is but that happens in football," he told a press conference.

"The last season was fine but we start again from scratch. It was a fantastic season but what we want is to have fantastic years because that is what makes great teams."

Iniesta also spoke of his Ballon D'Or nomination saying he is glad to get recognised for his hard work.

Ballon D' Or Nomination....

Messi lead the nomination list....
Leonel Messi has been widely tipped to top the rankings after helping Barcelona to a unique treble of trophies last and joins four others who helped achieve the feat, as well as new team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic. While no Italian players were named, the four Serie A-based imports were dwarfed by the 13 players from Spain's top flight, while the nominees from the Premier League all came from the big four clubs. Ryan Giggs has been included and should be mentioned for a lifetime achievement award after showing incredible longevity at the top for Manchester United. Away from Spain; England and Italy, only France's Yoann Gourcuff represented his own league, while Wolfsburg's Edin Dzeko and Bayern's Franck Ribery have been put forward from Germany's Bundesliga.

The 30-man shortlist:

Lionel Messi (Barcelona)	Maicon (Inter Milan)
Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)	Diego (Juventus)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Barcelona)	Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich)
Thierry Henry (Barcelona)	Edin Dzeko (Wolfsburg)
Xavi (Barcelona)	Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux)
Yaya Toure (Barcelona)	Andrey Arshavin (Arsenal)
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid)	Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)	Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)	Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
Kaka (Real Madrid)	John Terry (Chelsea)
Luis Fabiano (Sevilla)	Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
David Villa (Valencia)	Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid)	Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)
Samuel Eto'o (Inter Milan)	Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Julio Cesar (Inter Milan)	Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)

Draw 0-0( Barca vs Valencia)

Just a point in this match.....

David Villa missed out for the hosts as they lined up with Juan Mata up front. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was only on the bench for Pep Guardiola's men after picking up a knock on international duty with Sweden. Lionel Messi started despite a gruelling week with the Argentina squad, while Andres Iniesta and Pedro completed the attacking trident.

Rating player : Barcelona
Victor Valdes - 8: Made some vital close range saves, including one within the first minute.
Daniel Alves - 7.5: A bundle of energy as usual, tireless in attack and defence. Should stop taking free-kicks though.
Carles Puyol - 8.5: A commanding performance from the captain, which should put paid to any thoughts anyone at the club may have about selling him on. Was always in the right place at the right time.
Gerard Pique - 7: A decent performance, but did find himself caught out of position up the field on occasions.
Eric Abidal - 7: Improved as the game went on, but was skinned by Pablo Hernandez too often.
Yaya Toure - 7: Shut down Valencia's midfield, but nearly undid all his good work with some errant passes. Xavi - 7.5: Did all that he could, but the lack of structure in front of him negated his game.
Seydou Keita - 7: Put himself about well, but could have added more in an attacking sense.
Lionel Messi - 5: Clearly still jaded after a hectic international week, barely made an impact.
Pedro - 5: Made no headway against Miguel in the first half, and barely improved in the second.
Andres Iniesta - 7.5: Barca's most threatening player, showed some wonderful touches, but had no support.

Substitutes
Bojan - N/A
Sergi Busquets - N/A

We Will Beat Valencia ....!!!

"I hope Villa plays because I prefer to play against the best players from each team."

"I'm also expect that Zigic can play in his place, but I think Villa will play. I understand that he wants to play, because of the prestige there is, a player wants to be playing games like this," Guardiola told a pre-match press conference.

"The game is one of the toughest of the year. The crowd of Valencia is behind the team, and both the fans and the team itself will force us to play at our best."

Guardiola also rued the absence of French striker Thierry Henry, who scored four times against Los Che last season. Henry picked up an injury whilst on international duty with France.

He added, "He is a very important player for us. These things happen in football, but he is recovering his best form and we need him."

Startup To Face Valencia

Thierry Henry, wasn’t as lucky as the hamstring strain he picked up for France has ruled him out for around ten days.
Dani Alves and Lionel Messi returned from their long trips and they could be suffering from fatigue.

Goalkeepers: Victor Valdes, Pinto

Defenders: Dani Alves, Pique, Puyol, Rafa Marquez, Abidal, Maxwell

Midfielders: Xavi, Toure Yaya, Busquets, Keita, Jeffren, Iniesta

Forwards: Messi, Pedro, Ibrahimovic, Bojan

If Argentina Don't Want Messi, Sweden Will Take Him (Ibrahimovic)

Speaking at a press conference in Sweden ahead of their final World Cup qualifier against Albania, Ibra said that if Messi was not wanted at Argentina, Sweden would gratefully accept his services.

"If they don't like Leo [Messi] there, he can come and play in Sweden, he is very welcome. If they think Argentina is not playing well, let's see how they can play without him," he said.

Ibrahimovic also took time to praise outgoing Sweden coach Lars Lagerback. The coach has said that he will resign if the Swedes fail to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa. With Portugal needing a home win against Malta to beat them to second place that now looks likely.

"During his years with the team we played good football. He has done his best with the players at his disposal, in our squad we do not have 22 world stars,"stated him with smile.

Ibrahimovic and Henry Injured....

Maybe we will lost this 2 players when we meet Valencia....

Zlatan limped from the pitch in the 77th minute against Albania, with the extent of his injuries not yet known. Swedish sources originally claimed that the injury was serious, but right now there is no clear information either way. Ibrahimovic was able to walk out of the stadium and exit without problems, while team manager Lars Richt would not comment further. "I dare not remark," he said. "Zlatan went directly to the hotel. He has a sore knee, but I don't know how serious it is at the moment."
Henry, the Frenchman left the pitch 50 minutes in, clutching his calf. This injury may worry the Barcelona faithful more, as Henry said himself, "I've aggravated something. I had trouble before the game, and I was taken to the ground by it again. "It's important to be at the game, to go into battle. Sometimes this happens, sometimes it doesn't. I hurt myself trying to control the ball when I scored. "Nothing's broken, but I couldn't go on any more. We'll have see how things are at Barcelona. I'm not a doctor so I don't know what's going on with my leg."

Barca Is The Great Team .....!!!

Zlatan claimed that Inter doesn't have many great players...

He left the Nerazzurri last summer, has returned to speak about his old side, but there were no words of comfort for his former club . "There are not many players who can make the difference at Inter. If there was ever a problem, then it would be hard to recover," Ibrahimovic told Barca magazine. "However, if someone is out here at Barcelona, then we have the players to come in. This is what makes Barcelona a great team." 'Ibra' has also claimed that a team who doesn't finish first is "nothing". "Either you are first or nothing. I always like being first, not second, third or fourth," concluded the striker.

Cristiano Ronaldo Ruled Out For A Month.....!!!

His getting injured when Portugal meet Hungary...

The winger suffered a recurrence of the same ankle injury which he picked up in Real's win over Marseille in the UEFA Champions League at the Bernabeu on September 30.

There were doubts over his fitness going into this game, after he failed to make Madrid's trip to Sevilla last weekend but after a fitness test on Friday he was declared fit to play.

Ronaldo played less than half an hour of the European Group One World Cup qualifier and following an MRI scan after his return to Madrid the club have revealed that he will be out for at least three or four weeks.

"After the clinical examination and MRI scan, the player has suffered a recurrence of his injury to his right ankle. The minimum estimated [recovery] time is three to four weeks," the medical report read.

As a result Ronaldo is likely to miss two Primera Liga ties as well as both Champions League games against Milan with a trip to the Vicente Calderon to face Atletico Madrid on November 8 a possible return date for the Madrid's top marksman.

Robinho Our Best Target !!!

Barcelona have been linked with the Manchester City forward since Pep Guardiola took the reins at Camp Nou and made it clear he was a fan.

Having missed out on Robinho when he moved from Madrid to Eastlands, Barça are back in the hunt and the club's technical secretary has made it clear he could be a winter option.

"He is a very interesting player and can play in the Champions League," Begiristain told Sport.

Also on Barcelona's list of future signings is Cesc Fabregas and the director reiterated his belief that the Arsenal midfielder will return to the Catalan club in the future.

"He is a player that has the profile for Barça. He was born and raised with football here," he continued.

"One day he will end up playing for us at Camp Nou. Of that I am sure."

K9 Future !!!

Speaking to Sport, Barca sporting director Txiki Begiristain outlined the club's plans for the player, saying, "We are tracking Keirrison's progress, as we do with all the players that belong to us."

"The idea is that he remains with Benfica for another year.

"We have a good relationship with the club."

Keirrison is currently behind Oscar Cardozo, Nuno Gomes and Javier Saviola in the pecking order at the Estadio Da Luz.

Our Players In World Cup Qualification....!!!

Argentina

Argentina’s is far more precarious as they lie fifth in the table with Brazil and Paraguay having qualified and Chile on the brink of following them. The Albiceleste meet Peru at the weekend and then Uruguay on Wednesday and must win both matches.

Sweden

Sweden take on Denmark in Group One and Zlatan Irbahimovic has already been pinpointed as the player that the Danes have to watch. The Swedes then take on Albania on Wednesday and are sitting in second ahead of the two matches.

France

Thierry Henry and Éric Abidal will be hoping that they can help France to consecutive victories this weekend as the 1998 champions take on the Faroe Islands and Austria in home matches. Les Bleus are currently second in Group Seven and are four points behind leaders Serbia and four above the Austrians, who are third.

Mexico and Ivory Coast

Raf Márquez is back in the Mexico side after recovering from injury. The Tricolor have improved considerably under Javier Aguirre since he replaced Sven Goran Eriksson at the helm and wins against El Salvador and Trindidad & Tobago should the country through to the finals.

Ivory Coast are in action on Saturday and Touré Yaya is with the squad in Malawi. A draw will be enough for the Barça midfielder’s nation to go through.

Spain and Brazil have qualified for the World Cup Finals next summer, but the rest of the nations represented by Barça stars still have it all to do as the final round of qualifiers approaches over the next few days.

Gerard Piqué, Carles Puyol, Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta are all in the squad for the games in Armenia, on Saturday, and Bosnia, on Wednesday. Vicente del Bosque has assured that he will play a strong team in both matches despite being through already.

Brasil

Brazil have also made it to the final in South Africa so Dani Alves will be able ot enjoy the game in La Paz against Bolivia. On Wednesday Dunga then sees his side play at home to Venezuela.

Still Seeking The Constant Victory

Comment Maxwell to the press....

"We're doing very well and we are striving to improve. We are always working to improve because we have not ever had a perfect game, we're looking for perfection but that's always very difficult," he told a press conference.

"The boss is one who has to see where we must improve. He has a very good vision of the game. He looks at each game and knows how well prepared the team needs to be to face any opponent he knows how to communicate exactly what he wants," added Maxwell.

On his personal duel with French defender Eric Abidal for the left-back berth.

"He's doing very well. I will always be available to play the minutes I get and do positive things for the group. Abidal is doing well and deserves all the compliments.I try to always improve, give much more to the team and I am never satisfied with anything. I will remain positive and prove I am ready to play."

Barca The True Champions of Europe

Barça is the only team in the major European leagues to maintain a 100% record compared to the other giants team in Europe.

Barça will enjoy their position as the only team to have won all their league encounters to date for at least another fortnight. If Barça win again on their next outing to Valencia’s Mestalla stadium, not only will they continue their run as the only team in Europe to enjoy a 100% record, they will also break a Club record.

Inter, in Serie A

Inter have gone top of Serie A in Italy after beating Udinese on Saturday thanks to an injury time goal from former Real Madrid star Wesley Sneijder. Inter have the same number of points as Sampdoria but stay ahead on goal difference. Inter, who feature former Barça players Eto'o and Motta, have won five, lost one (against Sampdoria) and drawn one, against Bari in the opening game of the season.

Chelsea, one defeat

Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea, who beat Liverpool 2-0 at the weekend, lead the English Premiership with 21 points. They have only lost one match – against Wigan Athletic (managed by young Spanish coach Roberto Martínez) 3-1 two weeks ago. Just like Barça, Chelsea won their first six matches.


Bayer Leverkusen, two draws

ln the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen (managed by Jupp Heynckes) remain unbeaten after 8 matches but unlike Barça have conceded a draw in two of those eight – to Mainz 5 on the opening day of the season and to Werder Bremen on 20th September.

Lyon go it alone

Olympique Lyon, under head coach Claude Puel, have taken up their familiar position at the top of the French league. Like Bayer Leverkusen, they have won six and drawn two of their opening eight - away to PSG and Le Mans.

Manchester United faced hard competition

The EPL title became hard this season with the new football giants 'Manchester City' where Man U had a narrow win against the derby in the last match .

Fabregas Future !!!

Is he still considering on a move to Barcelona ???

Fabregas has been the subject of continued speculation surrounding a return to Camp Nou over the last few seasons, with Barcelona reportedly moving for the 22-year-old during the summer but as yet there has been no signs of interest in a move from the player .

"Now I can not even talk of Barca," he said, according to Sport.

The Gunners captain produced another memorable display in the weekend 6-2 Premier League victory over Blackburn Rovers, his 240th appearance for the club and showed no signs of a player eager to leave.

"We are in the middle of the season, I have a contract with Arsenal and I must complete that for my current team. Everything just started and I think only about the best for Arsenal."

He concluded by saying he will talk about his future when he feels the need to do so.

"When the time comes we'll talk about the future," he said.

Win Over Almeria 1-0

Barcelona maintain their 100 per cent record in La Liga thanks to Pedro’s stunning strike, it was the only goal could find in this game.

Barcelona wasted little time asserting their dominance, barely allowing their humble visitors to even touch the ball as their coach, Hugo Sanchez showed no attempts to disguise his ultra-defensive approach.

The first crack at goal only arrived after ten minute when Andres Iniesta fed in Lionel Messi down the right channel inside the box. The Argentine checked past his man but curled his shot wide.

Almeria had a rare attacking surge in the 15th minute when Crusat pounced on a woeful pass from Maxwell and squared the ball to the middle. Victor Valdes could only flap it away but fortunately for the Catalans, no one was there to pummel in the loose ball.

Luck, however, wasn’t on Barca’s side on 17 minutes when they hit the woodwork twice. First, Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s cross found Xavi, whose gorgeous volley cannoned off the post, before Pedro’s headed rebound was also denied by the upright.

But the deadlock was finally broken in the 30th minute by Pedro. The youngster picked up a pass from Maxwell, spun past his marker and instantly arrowed in a sumptuous shot on the edge of the box into the top right corner.

The Blaugrana saw out the half well in control of proceedings, but they failed to build on their lead as they barely threatened again and Hugo Sanchez looked the happier of the two coaches heading back into the tunnel.

Almeria came out firing in the second period as they tried to catch Barca off-guard with an early equaliser. Just four minutes after the restart, Guilherme whipped in a cross from the left for Crusat, but before he could pull the trigger, Maxwell lunged in with a critical interception.

Iniesta then tried his luck with an effort outside the box, but he could quite guide it on target as he aimed for Diego Alves’ far corner. Right on the hour mark, Messi had a shot at goal which took a wicked deflection off a defender and completely wrong-footed the visiting goalkeeper, but the ball trickled harmlessly wide.

Barca were starting to look jaded and out of ideas. But on 76 minutes, Ibrahimovic, chasing a record of scoring in the club’s first six league games in succession, saw his low shot from outside the box slapped away brilliantly by Diego Alves.

The Andalucians continued to defend diligently, restricting Pep Guardiola’s men of any real clear cut chances while looking threatening when they bombed forward on the counter.

Victor Valdes had to look sharp in the air to deal with the long balls and crosses as well as on the ground to smother any piercing through passes as his attacking team-mates kept on pushing forward but never really looked like scoring another goal, and they could have paid dearly for it.

In the final minutes of the game, Guilherme broke free down the right flank and galloped into the box but instead of taking a shot, he toe-poked a cross to the back post where no one in Almeria’s sky-blue shirt was even close to making a connection.

The solitary goal was sufficient for the Blaugrana to pick up all three points and extend their perfect start to the league campaign as they returned to the summit for at least 24 hours.

Top of the Match

Pedro
Barcelona

Pedro
Barcelona

Flop of the Match

Ibrahimovic Z.
Barcelona

Bernardello H.
Almeria

Record For Barcelona

Zlatan may break a record for Barcelona if he scored against Almeria....

If the Swedish striker score in this game, he will become the first Barcelona player to score in the first six league games of the season, surpassing the statistic set by Cesar Rodriguez, who scored nine times in the first five games of the season in 1950/51.

Barcelona thrashed Almeria 5-0 in this fixture last season and are in a rich vein of scoring form so far this term having racked up 14 goals in the first five Primera Liga games this season and Ibrahimovic has been a leading contributor with five from five.

If Ibra manages to break the record he will be halfway toward another, set by former Barcelona striker Ronaldo in 1996/97. The Brazilian legend managed to score in ten straight games at the back end of that incredible season, only to have his run cut short by being called up for international duty with Brazil.

Preview ( Barcelona vs Almeria )

Barcelona

Dmytro Chygrynskiy is out after straining knee ligaments last week. Bojan Krkic could return to the squad after a month on the sidelines, but Thierry Henry is unlikely to recover from his injury in time. Pep Guardiola will probably name his strongest possible side with the international break coming up.

Probable Starting XI (4-3-3): Valdes – Alves, Pique, Puyol, Abidal – Keita, Xavi, Busquets – Messi, Ibrahimovic, Iniesta

Almeria

Cameroonian central midfielder Modeste M'Bami could make his debut after signing a season-long deal with the club. Hugo Sanchez has no injury concerns going into the game and should field an unchanged side from that which drew with Racing Santander last week.

Probable Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Diego Alves – Michel, Acasiete, Chico, Guilherme – Bernardello, Soriano – Nieto, Piatti, Crusat – Uche.


PLAYERS TO WATCH

Barcelona

All eyes will be on Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to see if he can maintain his impressive start to life in La Liga by scoring for the Blaugrana in a sixth straight league game.

Almeria

Promising young Argentine Pablo Piatti could be the man to upset the odds at Camp Nou on Saturday. He managed a brace at the Vicente Calderon and has been a leading light for Almeria so far this season.

PREDICTION

A repeat of last years scoreline wouldn't be a surprise, especially given that Pep Guardiola doesn't have a fixture to concern him again until October 18. It should be a comprehensive home win.

Barcelona 5-0 Almeria

Puyol The Legends Of Barca !!!

10 years with Barca....

Carles Puyol celebrated ten years since he made his first team debut against Real Valladolid on Friday and can look back at a glorious decade littered with trophies and the captain's armband.

After a difficult summer it was not clear whether the young defender would be given a chance, but coach Louis van Gaal chose to promote him and he went on to make 37 appearances in that first campaign and become a regular fixture in the side.

Captaincy and trophies

Puyol spent five seasons playing at the highest level without the club winning a major trophy, but when Frank Rijkaard arrived he was made club captain and things began to improve for him even more. Since then he has lifted silverware on a regular basis and won three league titles, the Champions League twice and the Copa del Rey, as well the Super Cups.

Outstanding moments

As well as the images of Puyol lifting trophies above his head, there are two outstanding memories of his first ten years with the first being th man-marking job that he did on Luis Figo when the Portuguese returned to Camp Nou for the first time in Real Madrid colours in 2000. The second was in Europe against lokomotiv when he saved a certain goal with his chest after the keeper had been beaten.

Injury record

With 448 official games under his belt, Puyol has rarely been injured and has not been rested on a regular basis due to his importance at the back for the Blaugrana. Famed for being able to battle back early from knocks, the defender is the consumate professional and always looks after himself both on and off the field.

Seven goals

During his ten years in the first team Puyo has scored seven times and no goal was more important than the header he slammed past Iker Casillas last season in the monumental 2-6 win against Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabéu. Despite not being very tall at 1.78 metres, he is strong in the air in both penalty areas.

Having played all across the back four, the captain plays most regularly in the centre of the defence although Pep Guardiola is able to use him on the right when necessary.

Honours

FC BARCELONA
2009-10 / Supercopa de Europa
2009-10 / Supercopa de España
2008-09 / Champions League
2008-09 / Copa del Rey
2008-09 / Liga
2006-07 / Supercopa de España
2005-06 / Champions League
2005-06 / Liga
2005-06 / Supercopa de España
2004-05 / Liga

SPAIN
2008 / European Championships
2000 / Silver medal at the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000