RSSBarcelona’s possession game: Statistical facts before El Clasico 2012
Barcelona are admired for their passing game and ability to dominate in terms of possession in most matches, regardless of the standard of their oppositions.
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Relying on dominance through possession
It is in fact their dominance in games that have given them the confidence to rise without limit among other titans in world football. Generally, teams that profit from higher possession have more chances of creating opportunities and controlling games at their will.
This is a verity Pep Guardiola based his tactics on, right from the start of his spell at the club; and it has surely helped him develop a commanding side out of the Blaugrana. With the addition of accuracy and boldness to his recipe, Barcelona’s style has turned into an enjoyable type that many other clubs attempt to replicate.
El Clasico 2012: Why Barcelona could attempt to play negative football for once
Barcelona have so often criticized negative football in the past; but they could actually survive against Real Madrid in 2012’s second Clasico by using this technique.
Negative football is what Jose Mourinho used against Barcelona at the Camp Nou during his time at Inter Milan. Although Pep Guardiola made reasonable efforts to exhibit his expertise in attacking football, he happened to be denied by the defensive walls of the former Chelsea manager.Upset with the technique used by the Special One, Los Cules heavily condemned the Milanese - indirectly vowing never to adopt this style. Despite the tensions around the issue of tactics however, Mourinho boldly went on to use his stabbing negative method again in a few other encounters he had with Barcelona later on. But never did he do so without receiving affronts from his anti-fans.
Well, inversely, negative football is what could save Barca on Wednesday night in El Clasico of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals. Yet probably, no Blaugrana would agree on this point - neither on first thought, nor on second thought.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid – Copa del Rey quarterfinal second leg: 5 things to predict
When Barcelona host Real Madrid at the Camp Nou, there’s always something big. Watch out for at least one of the five predictions to happen in the second leg of this Copa del Rey quarterfinal tie.
The latest Clasico produced a Cristiano Ronaldo goal, a comeback from Barcelona, a rare match winner from Eric Abidal and surprisingly, no red card. There actually should have been at least one sending off following Pepe’s stomp on Lionel Messi’s hand. However, controversy is most often the rule of the game when Barcelona and Real Madrid clash.
What will happen at the Camp Nou on Wednesday night? Will Barcelona suffer an upset despite holding a vital 2-1 advantage ahead of the second leg? Will Real Madrid exit the Copa del Rey in the quarterfinals as most expect?
Kick-off time for Barcelona vs Real Madrid is on Wednesday, January 25 at 16:00 EST and 21:00 GMT. Live streaming and TV schedule info for El Clasico can be found on the match page.
Copa Libertadores Preview: Jan 24
Arsenal de Sarandi and Sport Huancayo will be hoping to kick-off the first stage of the 2012 Copa Libertadores in grand style when they clash on Tuesday.
The 53rd edition of the Copa Libertadores, South America's biggest club competition, kicks-off on Tuesday with two clashes corresponding to the first stage play-offs. Firstly, Arsenal de Sarandi of Argentina will be up against Sport Huancayo of Peru in Buenos Aires and then El Nacional of Ecuador take on Libertad of Paraguay in Quito.The home teams, in particular, will be forced to claim convincing victories, because a negative result could prematurely spell an end to their campaigns - home ground advantage can prove vital in the Copa Libertadores due to a wide range of factors.
Neither of the four teams have won the competition before, but will have no choice but to commence their respective campaigns on a high note, considering that only the winners will move onto the group stage of the competition.
In this preview:
2012 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament
Canada continues their mission to punching a ticket to The London 2012 Olympic Games at the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament, as they host their final group stage match against Costa Rica tonight (Monday), at 10:30 p.m. ET on Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet Ontario, 8:30 p.m. MT on Sportsnet West and 7:30 p.m. PT on Sportsnet Pacific.
With two tournament victories under their belt, Canada has already earned a berth in the semi-finals on Friday, Jan. 27 (match-ups TBD); with a win or draw tonight the Canadians will clinch first place in Group A. SOCCER CENTRAL’s Gerry Dobson and Craig Forrest provide play by play and analysis, respectively, for all games in the tournament, including the semi-finals and final.
Craig MacEwen joins Dobson and Forrest at BC Place to host Sportsnet’s broadcasts, alongside Stephen Brunt and former Canadian Women’s National Team member Kara Lang.
Bundesliga: Do we have a four-way title race on our hands?
One similarity was extremely obvious in the matches of the big sides this week: they were all terribly one-sided games.
The biggest game of the weekend took place at Borussia Park between Bayern and Gladbach. The result was a one-sided victory….. for Gladbach. Schalke took on Stuttgart and dismantled them just as Gladbach did to Bayern. Dortmund drubbed HSV in sophisticated fashion in the north of Germany.As a result, the top four teams in the Bundesliga are separated by just one point, with the top three separated by just goal difference. Karl Heinz Rummenigge wanted Bayern to be the team that every other team chases. They are the top side in the league even after the defeat- however, they are hanging on to the coveted position by nothing more than a single thread.
Why El Clasico at the Camp Nou on Jan. 25 could end Mourinho’s Real Madrid career
Wednesday night’s crucial Copa del Rey match against Barcelona – El Clasico part II – will determine something big for Jose Mourinho, be it for the best of for the worst.
Jose Mourinho’s career at Real Madrid is taking a rather uncomfortable twist. When the former Porto, Chelsea and Internazionale manager arrived in the Spanish capital, the majority of Madridistas hailed him as the one and only man capable of offering Los Blancos what they’ve been dying for since the past few years: stylish football and immense authority in Spain and in Europe through trophies in the cabinet. But as much as anyone can see, Real Madrid are still living in the shadow of bitter rivals Barcelona. In his first ever Clasico in charge, Jose Mourinho experienced a humiliating 5-0 defeat to eventual La Liga champions Barcelona. The Special One later claimed revenge as Cristiano Ronaldo’s sublime header in the Copa del Rey final ended Real Madrid’s title drought.
ESPN free to view for fans over a great weekend of sport
ESPN will be free to view for millions of sports fans over an unmissable weekend in February as the sports media company offers fans the opportunity to sample its extensive range of live British and international sport for free.
ESPN’s Free Weekend, sponsored by Nokia Lumia, begins at 6am on Friday 3rd February and will make ESPN and ESPN HD available to all Sky, TopUp TV and BT Vision subscribers in the UK and Ireland. Additionally, the channel will be available for free to the 10million UK households who have the subscription-free digital TV service Freeview, meaning that in total, some 20 million UK households will have free access to the channel.Jeroen Oerlemans, ESPN Vice President, TV Channels Europe, Middle East & Africa, said: “Millions of UK fans have already discovered the great range of great sport ESPN offers – from the Barclays Premier League to Serie A, to cricket, darts, motorsports and UFC. This is a great opportunity for us to introduce that to millions more and let them sample the programming ESPN has on offer.”
Internazionale vs Lazio Report
Inter Milan officially enter the Serie A title race after goals from Diego Milito and Giampaolo Pazzini helped them edge out Lazio for a record eighth straight victory.
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Inter Milan extended their winning streak to eight matches in all competitions after coming from behind to defeat Lazio 2-1 at the San Siro stadium on Sunday.With goals from Diego Milito and Giampaolo Pazzini, the Nerazzurri managed to turn around the match, after the visitors had taken an early lead through Tommaso Rocchi.
Inter, who had beaten arch-rivals AC Milan in the city derby last weekend, started the game strongly and almost went ahead when a poor kick-out from Lazio goalkeeper Federico Marchetti almost presented Inter midfielder Ricardo Alvarez with a straightforward goal.
Novara vs Milan Report
Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores a brace to lift Milan to an easy victory over Novara that keeps the Italian champions on Juventus' trail
Italian champions AC Milan thrashed Novara 3-0 thanks to two goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and another from Robinho at the Stadio Silvio Piola on Sunday.With the result, the Rossoneri closed the first round of the 2011-12 Italian championship in second place with 40 points, one point behind league leaders Juventus, with 41 points. While, Novara remain rock-bottom, with a mere 12 points.
Milan, who knocked Novara out of the Coppa Italia midweek, took the game to the hosts immediately from the kick-off as they looked to make amends for their painful derby defeat to city rivals Inter Milan in the Serie A last weekend.
Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Report
Real Madrid overcame an upset at the Santiago Bernabeu against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday night. They triumphed 4-1 after going 1-0 down.
Fernando Llorente stunned the home crowd with a 13th minute volley which completed Bilbao’s counterattacking move. Munian nearly doubled the visitors lead six minutes later but Marcelo leveled the game for Real Madrid a few moments midway through the first half. Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo were involved in that goal with excellent one-twos. At the break, Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao could not be separated. The scoreboard showed 1-1… but not for long.
Los Blancos went in front quickly after restart. Kaka, who had a good game, earned Real Madrid a penalty kick which Cristiano Ronaldo converted without mistake. The ball flew in the top corner of the net, leaving Iraizoz helpless.
Independiente obtain the Copa de Oro trophy after a lucky win against Boca Juniors
Los Diablos Rojos snatched a win against the Argentine champions courtesy of Rolando Schiavi's last minute own goal.
An own goal from experienced defender Rolando Schiavi in the final moments of the game allowed Independiente to beat Boca Juniors 1-0 to hoist the Copa de Oro trophy in the city of Mar del Plata on Saturday.When it seemed that the match was destined to end in a dull goalless draw, a horrible clearance from the Boca defense handed Independiente the only goal of the match.
Boca practically dominated the entire encounter but couldn't find a way past Independiente goalkeeper Hilario Navarro, who made a number of crucial saves throughout the game.
Málaga vs Barcelona Report
It was all too easy for Barcelona as they triumphed over Malaga 4-0 at La Rosaleda thanks to a dazzling performance from Lionel Messi.
A decent start to the game saw both sides making dangerous attempts in the first 20 minutes. An in-form Messi was the first to change the scoreboard’s indication, when he took advantage of a good cross from Adriano to thump the ball into the left side of the net to snatch the opener.The hosts were unable to reply afterward, and so the match finished 1-0 at half time in favour of Pep Guardiola’s club. Only three minutes in the second period, the crowd at the stadium witnessed yet another goal, but again for the visitors.
Barcelona’s Alexis Sanchez sent another message to Real Madrid ahead of the second-leg clash in the Copa del Rey, as he scored his team’s second of the day. Incomplete efforts from Thiago and Adriano gave the Chilean striker a chance to shoot on the rebound.
Atalanta vs Juventus Report
Juventus move four points clear at the top of the Serie A standings after claiming a comfortable 2-0 victory over Atalanta in Bergamo on Saturday.
La Vecchia Signora clinched the unofficial title of Serie A winter champions after claiming a straightforward 2-0 victory over Atalanta at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia in Bergamo on Saturday.Juventus pushed to the attack immediately from the kick-off, and almost went ahead inside the opening three minutes when Simone Pepe caught out Alessandro Matri with a precise low cross, but somehow the striker fired the ball over the bar.
Matri almost made amends for his earlier miss, when he struck the left post from inside of the area, as the visitors continued to pile heavy pressure on a vulnerable Atalanta.
Osasuna vs Valencia Preview
Sunday’s action in La Liga opens with an early match between Osasuna and Valencia. Kick-off time is at 6:00am EST (11:00am GMT).
Third-placed Valencia will be looking to bounce back from their surprise defeat to Real Sociedad. Considering the strength of Real Madrid and Barcelona at the top of the standings, it looks like Los Che should aim for nothing more and for nothing less than a third-place finish. As things stand, they are on their way to securing an automatic spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League competition. Valencia have a comfortable four-point advantage over Levante in the standings.
They are also six points clear from the UEFA Europa League zone which is currently occupied by fifth-placed Espanyol and sixth-placed Athletic Bilbao. Los Che can contemplate hitting 37 points and creating a seven-point gap over Levante temporarily.
Málaga vs Barcelona Preview
There are 5 points between Real Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga table, but the Catalans will have a chance to top the standings temporarily when they travel to Malaga on Sunday.
Barcelona won their last league game at home to Real Betis 4-2 as they tried to keep the pressure on their arch-rivals. They hold the second place with 41 points after 18 games, following 12 wins, 5 draws and a single loss in the league so far.They have lost 11 points already away from home this season; thus, extra cautiousness will be needed to avoid a setback at La Rosaleda. Malaga haven’t been too impressive away from home either; two draws and six defeats have clearly stamped this fact.
They sit in 10th position with 25 points, but are only seven points above relegation. They might be looked upon as underdogs because of Barcelona’s capabilities, but one must not forget that Malaga will be profiting from the home advantage.
Internazionale vs Lazio Preview
Inter Milan will aim to make it seven wins on the trot when they lock horns with Lazio in what is expected to be a thrilling clash at the San Siro on Sunday.
Inter Milan will be hoping to continue with their stunning form when they entertain Lazio in what is expected to be a blockbuster of a match at the San Siro stadium on Sunday.The Nerazzurri have won six matches on the trot in Serie A, and if they manage to rack up three further points against Lazio not only will they overtake The Romans into fourth-place, but they will officially enter the title race.
As they proved in their 1-0 victory over arch-rivals AC Milan last Sunday, Inter are currently on fire and if they continue to play to their full capacity there is no doubt that they will cruise past an inconsistent Lazio.
Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao Preview
Real Madrid will host Athletic Bilbao after Barcelona's game away to Malaga on Sunday.
Los Blancos will be playing with El Clasico on their minds. They have a mammoth task to complete at the Camp Nou following their 2-1 defeat to Barcelona at the Bernabeu in midweek. Chances are that Real Madrid will exit the Copa del Rey in the quarterfinals at the expense of the Blaugrana. Recently, Jose Mourinho described the Spanish Cup as a “third priority” this season. The focus is on La Liga title—something which has been missing from Real Madrid’s trophy cabinet since 2008.
It’s interesting to know what kind of team Jose Mourinho will feature against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. The coach’s squad choice will tell a lot about Real Madrid’s vision of the Copa del Rey now that they are half-way out.
Univision Deportes and Galavision to broadcast USA and Mexico international friendly matches live
Get glued to Galavision and Univision Deportes for the live coverage of the upcoming international friendlies involving USA, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela.
The USA Men’s National Team will be in action against Venezuela on Saturday, January 21. The match is scheduled to kick off at 9:00pm EST (6:00pm PT and 8:00pm CT). Watch it live on Galavision. Galavision will also broadcast Panama vs USA live on Wednesday, January 25. The United States’ encounter with Panama will start at 8:30pm EST (5:30pm PT and 7:30pm CT). Viewers can catch Mexico vs Venezuela on Wednesday as well.
This Latino affair will be live online on UnivisionDeportes.com. Kick-off time for the Mexico vs Venezuela international friendly is at 8:50pm EST (5:50pm CT and 7:50pm PT).
Novara vs Milan Preview
AC Milan will strive to maintain pressure on Serie A league leaders Juventus when they clash with Novara for the second time in the space of five days on Sunday.
After their derby defeat to Inter, AC Milan welcomed Novara to the San Siro for the Coppa Italia mid-week, in a game which the Rossoneri won thanks to an extra-time winner from Alexandre Pato after the match ended in a 1-1 draw over the ninety minutes.Now the two teams will meet again, for the second time in the space of just five days, this time at the home of Novara the Stadio Comunale Silvio Piola, for the 19th round of the Serie A.
Milan come into the clash as the odds on favourites to escape with the three points, not only because they beat Novara with a second-string side just a few days ago, but because both sides find themselves on opposite ends of the table, as while Milan are currently second from top, Novara find themselves rock-bottom of the 20-team Italian first division.