Due to their participation in the 2011 FIFA World Club Cup, Barcelona have been scheduled to play Rayo Vallecano on Tuesday night.
The match will take place at the Camp Nou and could see Barcelona close the gap against La Liga leaders Real Madrid to just 3 points. Last week, the Catalans encountered a rare situation as they lost 1-0 away to Getafe.
The pressure is strictly on second-placed Barcelona to get a good result on Tuesday considering the mid-table status of Rayo Vallecano. The good news for Pep Guardiola is that his colleague, Tito Vilanova, has been discharged from hospital following a successful operation.
Although the assistant coach will need at least three weeks to get fully fit, his encouraging condition should boost the team’s spirit.
Besides this, the Catalans can build their confidence on their remarkable ability to bounce back over the past few years. Their strength at the Camp Nou is also difficult to break. Barcelona have gathered as many as 19 points from a possible 21 at home in La Liga.
It might take more than just luck for Rayo Vallecano to prevent Pep Guardiola’s men from grabbing victory on Tuesday night. After suffering a 6-2 trashing in the hands of Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, how must Rayo Vallecano view their chances of embarrassing the Blaugrana?
The differences between Barcelona and Rayo are plenty ahead of the match. Mathematically, they are 12 points apart. Rayo have conceded almost twice more than Barca in total.
Another interesting statistic reminds that Guardiola’s defense has yet to allow a goal at the Camp Nou. Could one bet on any player from Rayo Vallecano’s team to stain the Catalans’ clean sheet record on home soil?
The pressure is strictly on second-placed Barcelona to get a good result on Tuesday considering the mid-table status of Rayo Vallecano. The good news for Pep Guardiola is that his colleague, Tito Vilanova, has been discharged from hospital following a successful operation.
Although the assistant coach will need at least three weeks to get fully fit, his encouraging condition should boost the team’s spirit.
Besides this, the Catalans can build their confidence on their remarkable ability to bounce back over the past few years. Their strength at the Camp Nou is also difficult to break. Barcelona have gathered as many as 19 points from a possible 21 at home in La Liga.
It might take more than just luck for Rayo Vallecano to prevent Pep Guardiola’s men from grabbing victory on Tuesday night. After suffering a 6-2 trashing in the hands of Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, how must Rayo Vallecano view their chances of embarrassing the Blaugrana?
The differences between Barcelona and Rayo are plenty ahead of the match. Mathematically, they are 12 points apart. Rayo have conceded almost twice more than Barca in total.
Another interesting statistic reminds that Guardiola’s defense has yet to allow a goal at the Camp Nou. Could one bet on any player from Rayo Vallecano’s team to stain the Catalans’ clean sheet record on home soil?
