Player Ratings: Barcelona 2-1 Malaga

BARCELONA

Valdes: 6 - Made a fine save from Duda's free kick in the first half but otherwise had very little to do except to pick the ball out of his net.

Dani Alves: 6.5 - Showed what Barcelona had been missing with his runs down the right hand side and was frequently involved in the final third, setting up the second goal.

Puyol: 6 - There was little threat to deal with from Malaga, but he dealt well with Obinna's pace. Drawn in too easily as the Nigerian played in Valdo for the goal however.

Pique: 6 - Picked up a needless booking for protesting, but was otherwise solid at the back and threatened at set pieces.

Maxwell: 6 - Provided an option on the overlap but was generally confined to a more withdrawn role to allow for Dani Alves' attacking instincts.

Xavi: 8 - He played some fantastic football in the middle of the pitch, summed up by a breathtaking through ball that split half the Malaga team in the build up to Messi's winner.

Busquets: 7 - No theatrics from the defensive midfielder tonight, but a good steady performance in the midfield as he broke up a number of Malaga attacks and kept the pressure on the visitors.

Iniesta: 7 - Often cut inside onto his right foot to swing in some dangerous crosses, but was sometimes guilty of trying to over-play the ball. Unlucky to see a shot come back off the crossbar in the second half.

Messi: 7.5 - Scored the decisive goal with a simple finish, but like Iniesta he was sometimes trying to play the perfect ball rather than shooting himself. A dynamic performance nonetheless.

Ibrahimovic: 5.5 - Slack and lazy once more - often looked to be a step behind the play. Had a goal disallowed in the final minutes after he fouled Weligton in the build up.

Pedro: 7.5 - Scored on his 50th appearance for the club, and his pace and skill were far too much the players that were supposed to mark him, Torres in particular.

Substitutes:

Bojan: N/A - Almost set up Ibrahimovic in the final minutes.

MALAGA

Munua: 6.5 - He made a fine save from Xavi and tipped over a header from Ibrahimovic, but could have done more to prevent Pedro's shot from going in.

Gaspar: 5 - His defending was as bad as his haircut as he gave away possession cheaply and allowed the Barcelona front three to get in behind him on far too many occasions.

Stepanov: 6 - Had to go off injured in the first half, but did nothing wrong while he was on the pitch.

Weligton: 7.5 - Made some good blocks to keep Barcelona at bay in the first half before making a superb goalline intervention from Ibrahimovic in the second period.

Torres: 4.5 - Really couldn't cope with Pedro's pace and should have been sent off in the first half for a second yellow card. Withdrawn at half time.

Juanito: 7 - Dropped back into defence after Stepanov's injury, and the defensive midfielder did a good job of preventing too many clear cut chances falling Barcelona's way.

Toribio: 5.5 - Didn't really do much to prevent Barcelona from dominating possession in the midfield, thereby putting more pressure on his defence.

Fernando: 6 - Carelessly conceded possession to Messi in the first half which almost led to the opening goal, but he tried to offer an attacking option on the right hand side and helped out his defence.

Baha: 5.5 - While Malaga were pressed back for long periods of the game, Baha did very little to cover or to provide an attacking option when Malaga ventured forward

Duda: 6 - Tested Valdes with a good free kick early on, but the visitors needed to make more of the set pieces that he almost invariably took.

Obinna: 6.5 - His pace posed a real problem for the Barcelona defence but he was given minimal service. Combined well with Valdo to set up the equaliser.

Substitutes:

Edu Ramos: 5 - The youngster only turned 18 just over a week ago, and his inexperienced showed when he was faced with Xavi and Iniesta in midfield.

Valdo: 7 - He nearly had too much time to think about what to do as he bore down on Valdes, but he kept his cool to score his first goal for 14 months with a composed finish.

Forestieri: 5.5 - Thrown on with 20 minutes remaining but had a negligable impact on the game as Barcelona dominated the final stages.

Barcelona 2-1 Malaga

Barcelona 2-1 Malaga - Lineups/Stats

La Liga - Fixtures/Results

Barcelona welcomed Dani Alves back into the starting lineup, while Pedro also earned a start. Malaga, meanwhile, were pinning their scoring hopes upon Victor Obinna, who lead the line.

As expected, Barca began the match dominating possession, but it was Victor Valdes who was called into action first, palming Duda's free-kick away. Soon, however, the Blaugrana started creating their own chances, with Lionel Messi heading Alves' cross wide.

Messi was creating problems aplenty for the visitors, and only a desperate sliding challenge from Weligton stopped him opening the scoring after he had been played through on goal. Alves was also causing havoc on the right flank, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic should have done better with a deep cross, but he failed to control.

Malaga's problems were compounded further early on, when Milan Stepanov had to be withdrawn due to injury, to be replaced by Edu Ramos. On 25 minutes, 'Ibra' had another chance to break his Camp Nou drought, but his free-kick from distance bent just around the post. Then, on the half hour, Messi cut inside down the right, but blasted over the bar from a tight angle.

Barca were utterly dominating possession, but finding that elusive goal remained a struggle. On 37 minutes, Xavi flicked Andres Iniesta's cross goalwards, but Gustavo Munua was on hand to tip it over. Then, on the stroke of half-time, Pedro's low ball across goal seemed to invite Ibrahimovic to tap it in, but the Swede could not reach it. There was still time for one more chance, but Messi's shot was blocked, after he had been set up by Pedro.

Thus the first half ended goalless, with Barca hoping to make their dominance count in the second period.

Juan Ramon Lopez Muniz made an immediate change for the second half, withdrawing Manu Torres for Valdo. However, it was the hosts who had the first chance, with Ibrahimovic seeing his header tipped over by Munua, after Messi had set him up. The shots continuted to flow, with Iniesta firing wide from distance soon after.

Ibrahimovic was having a frustrating night, and his misery was compounded on the hour mark, when his header was cleared off the line by Weligton. It looked like Barca may never break the deadlock despite their dominance, but on 68 minutes, Pedro unleashed a shot from the edge of the box that beat Munua at his near post, giving the hosts a well deserved lead.

Barca showed no intention of simply wanting to hang on to their lead as they went searching for more goals, and Iniesta was extremely unlucky to see his shot bounce out off the underside of the bar. Then, Messi and Xavi nearly combined to devastating effect, only for the ball to get cleared as the Argentine was preparing to shoot.

It seemed as though the missed chances would not come back to haunt the hosts, but, with ten minutes remaining, Valdo stunned the Camp Nou when he raced clear onto Obinna's pass and slotted past Valdes.

Barca were shocked but continued looking for the winner, only for Iniesta to see Munua save his snapshot with ease. Then, with seven minutes left, the match took another twist when Dani Alves broke free and squared the ball for Messi, who only had to slot into an empty net, giving the champions the lead once more. 

With seconds remaining, Ibrahimovic thought he had sealed the game, but his effort was ruled out for a foul on the defender. That proved to be the final act of a dramatic game, at the end of which Barca maintained their two point lead at the top.

Player Ratings: VfB Stuttgart vs FC Barcelona 1-1

STUTTGART

Lehmann: 3 - A loon. He had nothing to do in the first half other than saving Messi's shot, which he only barely succeeded in doing. While he did well to save Ibrahimovic's first shot (just before the equaliser) in the second half, he totally missed a cross later on, and nearly took Puyol's head off with a silly flying kick.

Celozzi: 5 - Didn't make any game-changing errors, but he could have done much better in possession. Still, Iniesta and Henry were rather quiet, so he must have done something right.

Tasci: 7 - Nothing but clean defensive work from the German international. Generally speaking, he kept a very close eye on Ibrahimovic, and was one of the main reasons why Barca had such a tough time breaking the hosts' defence.

Delpierre: 6 - Will be kicking himself for heading the ball on for the offside Pique in the play leading up to Barcelona's equaliser. Aside from that monumental error, Delpierre put in a great shift.

Molinaro: 6.5 - Great link-up play with Hleb in the first half. The Juventus loanee's technical quality was a breath of fresh air, and at times he proved to be a nightmare for Puyol. Unable to do much in the second half, but he kept Barca's most dangerous flank rather quiet throughout.

Gebhart: 6.5 - Great technical play up the right side and limitless energy saw the 20-year-old keep Barca quiet on his flank. His cross for Cacau's goal was inch-perfect.

Traesch: 5 - Was the weakest link among a superior Stuttgart side in the first half. Was substituted on 58 minutes after failing to make a real impact.

Khedira: 7 - True to his reputation, a real work-horse in central midfield. Bossed around Yaya Toure like a child, and was a real threat going forward. While his late foul on Messi was an abomination unto the football gods, it was at least enough to save a draw.

Hleb: 6 - Along with Molinaro, he forced Puyol on his heels for long spells. The Belarusian's dribbling and technical abilities were always difficult to contain, although he will be disappointed after failing to make a bigger impact on the result.

Cacau: 7 - Carried his weekend form into today's match. Fearless, he attacked with pace and could have scored more than once in the first half. His header for the opener was perfect, and did justice for an equally impressive cross. In the second half, he dropped back to provide much-needed defensive cover.

Pogrebnyak: 6 - Once called a 'sleeping giant', today we caught a glimpse of what he is capable of. The towering Russian's strength was difficult for the Barca defence to contain, and he linked with Cacau to great effect. Had a chance for glory in the first half, but Valdes made a good save.

Subs:

Marica: 5 - A couple of bright signs late, but strikers are paid for scoring goals, something he could not do.

Kuzmanovic: 5 - Hardly an improvement on Traesch, but he was decent defensively. Should have done better with his late free kick.

Rudy: N/A

BARCELONA

Valdes: 7 - Much more impressive than his counterpart. He had little to deal with in the second half, but was always available when needed. Calmly took care of all the easy work, and authoritatively ran out to deny Pogrebnyak.

Puyol: 6.5 - As usual, the captain was on hand to make game-changing challenges. The defensive all-rounder stopped Khedira in the first half, tackled Marica in the closing minutes, and put in a number of other important challenges. Later in the game, he made space for Messi by bombing up the right flank.

Marquez: 3 - He should have never, ever been pushed off the ball by Hleb, but was. Often overpowered and out-paced by Stuttgart's attack, the Mexican defender was replaced on 59 minutes.

Pique: 7 - Had a poor first half, but a rock-solid second, save for his careless booking late in the game. When Barca needed a goal, he went forward, held off Khedira, and set up Ibrahimovic for the equaliser.

Maxwell: 7 - Probably his team's best defender over the first 45 minutes, the Brazilian was troublesome going forward and kept Gebhart at bay.

Busquets: 6 - Clearly not comfortable in the Xavi/Iniesta role, but much better after the break, when he moved into a central holding role.

Toure: 3 - Outplayed in the first half, and rightfully substituted. A forgettable performance.

Xavi: 6.5 - Knows exactly where to go and what to do. When Barca needed a goal, he moved into a role outside the penalty area and was a central pivot for the attack. When attention was needed deep, he backed up Busquets and Yaya Toure. Recovered from a poor first half with a much better second period.

Messi: 6.5 - The only man who looked like scoring in the first half, Messi was a bit unfortunate not to net the opener shortly before the break. As usual, the diminutive Argentine was a catalyst for his team's attack, and found spaces despite often being double-teamed. Loses points for misplacing many passes in the first half.

Ibrahimovic: 6.5 - An encouraging match. Took his goal well and should have had another, but was denied by Molinaro's arm. Service to him was lacking, however.

Iniesta: 6 - Did next to nothing until Henry came on, but once he dropped back to partner Xavi, Barca were much, much better with the ball. Would have earned a much higher rating had he shown up in the first half.

VfB Stuttgart vs FC Barcelona 1-1

Stuttgart 1-1 Barcelona - Line-Up/Stats
Champions League - Fixtures/Results

Stuttgart almost recorded a sensational victory over European champions Barcelona in the Champions League, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic equalised Cacau's opener to share the spoils ahead of the round of 16 second leg.

The line-ups contained few surprises, with Cacau continuing alongside Pavel Pogrebnyak for Stuttgart after his four-goal haul against Koeln at the weekend. Andres Iniesta started on the left of the Barcelona front three in preference to Thierry Henry.

Lionel Messi ran into the area early on, looking set to fire a left foot shot after cutting back. But he lost his footing completely and on the counter-attack Pogrebnyak was denied by Rafael Marquez as he looked to get a shot in at Victor Valdes.

Stuttgart made a decent chance on 12 minutes when Cristian Molinaro drove forward before feeding Cacau, but the in-form striker couldn’t quite tee himself up and ended up completely mis-hitting his effort at goal.

At the other end it was the usual story, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Messi each being denied by last-ditch tackles as the home side looked to defend deep against the marauding Catalans.

Ibrahimovic became goal-saver on 23 minutes, when he flicked away a right wing corner, before getting in front of Delpierre at the far post when the ball was swung back in. The Swede got a bang on the nose for his troubles, but he’d done his job.

But that chance had come as part of a real period of pressure from Stuttgart, and they deservedly took the lead in the 25th minute. Aliaksandr Hleb made good progress on the right, allowing Gebhart to cross delightfully towards the far post, where Cacau rose above Carles Puyol to power an unstoppable header past Victor Valdes and send the home crowd into raptures.

Within four minutes the Germans were hoping for a second when Pogrebnyak chipped a cross in the direction of the six-yard box, but the ball caught Marquez on the arm. Referee Kuipers rightly waved away appeals, deciding that the Mexican had little time to move his arm away as the ball came in.

Stuttgart continued to dominate and Cacau almost became provider when he brilliantly shrugged off Marquez before drawing Gerard Pique and playing a low ball into the six-yard box, but Puyol covered well. Khedira then had his own chance for a second when he got clear of Puyol on the left, but his quickly-taken toe-prod was blocked by Valdes.

The dominance of the home side was becoming almost embarrassing, as Hleb dispossessed Marquez deep in his own half and played a low ball for Christian Trasch, whose scuffed cross-shot spun across goal, escaping both attackers and defenders on its way out of play.

Despite the one-way traffic, Stuttgart almost gave up their lead five minutes before the interval when Jens Lehmann failed to hold a fairly weak left-foot shot from Messi and the ball spun out of his grasp and against the post, allowing the former Arsenal keeper to scramble back to collect gratefully.

The home side had without doubt deserved their half-time lead, but it lasted less than seven minutes after the break, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic finally registering his first goal in a Champions League knockout fixture.

As everyone retreated from a Barca corner, Sergio Busquets played the ball back in to the far post for Pique to head down for Ibrahimovic, and after the Swede’s first shot came back off Lehmann, he side-footed home with ease to bring the European champions level.

There were then attacks back and forth as Stuttgart looked to regain their advantage without risking a potentially fatal second Barca goal. The visitors introduced Gabriel Milito in place of Rafael Marquez at the back, knowing that the Mexican’s presence could be very important come the return leg.

There was a moment of real controversy on 68 minutes when Barcelona had a possible claim for a penalty. Lehmann failed to collect a left-wing cross, allowing Ibrahimovic to turn and shoot, but his goalbound shot was blocked on the line by the upper arm of Molinaro. The referee waved away the Catalans’ appeals, presumably believing it to have been another case of ball to hand.

Moments later, Molinaro broke through a crowd of players in the box to reach the byline before pulling back towards Cacau, but Valdes managed to claim the striker’s stab towards goal at the second attempt.

There followed a period of stalemate, as both teams seemed increasingly aware of their need to maintain the status quo at the very least ahead of the second leg in the Camp Nou.

Stuttgart had a late opportunity to take a lead to Barcelona when substitute Marica was tugged back by Pique on the edge of the box. The defender was shown a yellow card and the set-piece was drilled in by Kuzmanovic, but Valdes managed to hold on with attackers running in looking to take advantage of any slip up.

There was still enough time for Khedira to pick up a booking for a poor challenge on Lionel Messi which brought a strong reaction from Ibrahimovic.

We Have To Raise Our Game

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has warned his players they will have to step it up a notch if they expect to achieve a positive result in Germany against Stuttgart on Tuesday night.

Barca travel to the Mercedes-Benz Arena for the first leg of their Champions League round-of-16 clash on the back of a comprehensive 4-0 over Racing, however Guardiola claims a repeat performance wouldn’t be enough to get the job done against Die Roten.

“We have to take another step forward if we want to be champions,” he told fcbarcelona.com. “Scoring four goals against Racing has merit but it’s not enough to compete with German football.

“We know this standard won’t be enough to put us through to the quarter-finals. We have to recover our good form."

Guardiola went on to say his team would look to attack and stressed the importance of returning to Camp Nou with an away goal.

“We have to score goals, we have to attack well, not run with the ball and pass it about. Under [coach Christian] Gross, Stuttgart have great stats when it comes to goals and results. They’ve got a lot of interesting things.”

Player Ratings: Barcelona 4-0 Racing Santander

Barcelona 4-0 Racing Santander

Barcelona coasted to victory against Racing Santander in the Camp Nou to restore their five point lead at the top of the Primera Division table. Andres Iniesta, Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez all scored in the first half, while Thiago added to the scoreline late on.

Bojan Krkic was given a rare start up front for the hosts, but it was a mainstay of the side who opened the scoring in the seventh minute.

A simple long ball into the box from Rafael Marquez was completely misjudged by Jose Crespo and Iniesta was on hand to pounce on the loose ball and turn it past Fabio Coltorti. It was his first goal of the season in his 300th game for the club.

Coltorti then pulled off a fine one-handed save from Lionel Messi after the Argentine had exchanged passes with Sergio Busquets on the edge of the box as the Blaugrana looked to establish a healthy early advantage.

Midway through the first half the 'keeper was called into action again, this time at his near post. Bojan skipped past a challenge on the edge of the area and fired a shot at goal from a narrow angle, but Coltorti turned it behind.

Racing's attacking threat was all too rare, but Victor Valdes was still alert to claim the ball well when Xisco headed Papa Diop's free kick back across goal.

The lead was doubled just before the half hour mark after Busquets won a free kick on the edge of the area. Henry stepped up and his effort went through the defensive wall into the corner, with Coltorti powerless to prevent it from going in.

Toni Moral was booked for a clear handball to provide Barcelona with another free kick in a dangerous position, and they took advantage of it. This time it was Marquez who curled a free kick over the wall and in off the post. It was 3-0, and los Verdiblancos were yet to register a shot in anger.

The visitors should have scored moments later, however. Valdes spilled a cross at the feet of Sergio Canales and the youngster's shot was goalbound, but the offside Xisco poked the ball into the net himself. The on-loan striker should have connected with a Canales free kick just before half time but failed to make any contact with his close-range header.

There were no changes at the break, and the second half began in the same fashion as the first had ended with Barcelona looking comfortable. The visitors were clearly frustrated, evidenced by Oriol's reaction after tumbling over Henry's outstretched leg in the Racing penalty area.

With one goal to his name, Iniesta was on the lookout for a second. On the hour mark, a ball broke free on the edge of the box and Iniesta was quick to fire a shot at goal, but it was easy for Coltorti to save.

Despite the hosts' dominance in possession, they were not creating many clear-cut openings. Pep Guardiola decided to take off Carles Puyol after the captain suffered a clash of heads in the penalty area, although the substitution was more precautionary than anything.

Gerard Pique nearly added a fourth as he collected a cross in the six-yard box but the ball was snatched away from him before he could pull the trigger on the volley. Coltorti was called into action when Messi cut inside from the right flank and unleashed a shot with his left foot, but the Swiss shot-stopper beat the ball away.

In the 84th minute, Barcelona finally scored their fourth. Messi cut the ball back from the byline for substitute Thiago to sidefoot home via a deflection for his first senior goal.

It was a perfect end to Guardiola's 100th official game in charge of the Blaugrana as his side recorded their 71st win under his stewardship to extend their lead at the top of the table.

Guardiola Defends Henry

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has declared that La Liga is now entering it's "decisive phase" of the season and that "now, one pays for errors".

In comments made to the press and reported by Marca, the Barca coach believes that if his team fails in the next few matches, they will "lose their opportunities to be champions".

"In La Liga, our direct rivals [Real Madrid] will not cede many points. And in Europe we know they will be strong. Our result against Lyon last season was not much different and we were still able to save the season. Now comes Racing, who are just as dangerous as a big team."

With respect to injuries, Guardiola acknowledged the impact of the absences.

"There could not have been any more injuries. We have done everything to avoid injuries and we went seven weeks without any. It is clear that if so many players are getting injuried, something is going on. There are many causes, but we don't know the exact problem."

Guardiola also defended Thierry Henry, who has not seen the pitch in three matches and has had a significantly diminished role in the team this year, as "one of the most important players in the team".

"Few people have as much confidence in Henry as I do. But we have over 20 in the squad and I choose what I need at certain moments. I continue to count on Henry, but I cannot respond every time eight players in the squad are not included in the squad list."

In Saturday's match against Racing, Guardiola will be coaching his 100th match as Barca coach. But despite the milestone, Guardiola warned that the match was about facing strong opponents rather than counting matches.

With [Racing coach Miguel Angel] Portugal, they have played six matches away from home with three victories and one draw. They do not wait for you to attack, but come out and attack the match."

Finally, speaking of Racing star Sergio Canales, the Barca coach had praise for the Cantabrian. "Since his youth he has shown just how much ability he has. He is very talented; if not, he wouldn't be playing in La Primera."

La Liga Preview: Barcelona – Racing Santander

Beatable

Defeats for Barcelona are rare, particularly in La Primera Division, but Pep Guardiola’s side would suffer their first loss of a record breaking season against Atletico Madrid last weekend. The entertaining 2-1 reverse signalled the end of a record breaking 21-match unbeaten sequence for la Blaugrana.

Tormented by injury and suspension problems in their defence, Barca would have been aware that a trip to the Vicente Calderon was fraught with danger. When they went two goals behind relatively early in the first half, Guardiola cut almost a resigned figure on the bench.

“We were not quite right and Atletico played well, although I do not have too much criticism for my team,” the coach said of his side’s strangely flat performance after the game. “We're always prepared for a defeat. It's the first of the season but we can take positives from it."

Of course, defeat cut the Blaugrana’s lead at the summit of La Liga to just two points, with Real Madrid having continued their fine winning streak 24 hours earlier. Now Barca can take the initiative once more, pushing five points clear if they can overcome the obstacle placed in front of them this Saturday against Racing Santander.

Injury problems continue to hamper the Camp Nou outfit’s efforts, with Xavi and Seydou Keita both picking up problems over the course of the last seven days, simply heightening the level of difficulty this game possesses.

Backs To The Wall

Miguel Angel Portugal took over struggling Racing Santander in mid-November when the club was starting to struggle to tread water in La Primer. After a couple of defeats initially, the coach led los Racinguistas on a strong run of four wins from five, though there are signs that the honeymoon period of the 54-year-old is starting to end.

A run of one win in five in league play was marginally disappointing, though the team could certainly be mitigated by their strong Copa del Rey run. However, the club’s cup exploits were brought to an abrupt halt away to Atletico Madrid, where they were hammered 4-0. That effectively nullified their second leg tie, which ended in favour of the Cantabrians but not nearly emphatically enough to threaten progress to the final.

Back in the league, the hangover from the Copa defeat seemed to be evident last weekend. Though Malaga are an improving side, there was little to suggest that they would hammer los Verdiblancos 3-0 in northern Spain.

One venue that Portugal wouldn’t want his side to be travelling to after such a defeat would be Camp Nou, even with Barca badly depleted. The Catalans have already smashed Racing 4-1 this term, with three goals in the first half hour totally killing the tie.

The northerners will aim to at least be more competitive this time around, though recent form suggests they may well toil.

FORM GUIDE

Barcelona

LOST 2-1 (a) Atletico Madrid (Liga, February 14)

WON 2-1 (h) Getafe (Liga, February 6)

WON 1-0 (a) Sporting de Gijon (Liga, January 30)

WON 3-0 (a) Valladolid (Liga, January 23)

WON 4-0 (h) Sevilla (Liga, January 16)

Racing

LOST 3-0 (h) Malaga (Liga, February 14)

WON 3-2 (h) Atletico Madrid (Copa del Rey, February 11)

DREW 1-1 (h) Atletico Madrid (Liga, February 7)

LOST 4-0 (a) Atletico Madrid (Copa del Rey, February 4)

DREW 0-0 (a) Getafe (Liga, January 31)

TEAM NEWS

Barcelona

There has been mixed news on the injury front for la Blaugrana over the course of the last week. Xavi is set to be sidelined for a couple of weeks due to injury and Seydou Keita faces a month in the stands due to a hamstring issue that was sustained early in last weekend’s defeat.

Dani Alves has been training but won’t be ready to play, while Yaya Toure and Dmytro Chygrynskiy have been training normally. Eric Abidal will be sidelined for another week.

Gerard Pique and Rafael Marques missed out last weekend due to suspensions. They are both involved.

Probable Starting XI: Valdes; Jeffren, Puyol, Pique, Maxwell; Busquets, Toure, Iniesta; Messi, Ibrahimovic, Henry

Racing

Controversy has surrounded the suspension of three Racinguistas, though it seems inevitable that Pedro Munitis, Colsa and Tchite are all banned. The Santander club are trying to get the latter’s red card reduced to a yellow, but even at that he will still be suspended.

Henrique will be back after sitting out last weekend because of personal issues, while Tono and Arana are making progress with their injury problems.

Long-term problems Edu Bedia and Bolado are both training with the main group for the first time after long-term injury.

Probable Starting XI: Coltorti; Pinillos, Moraton, Torrejon, Oriol; Diop, Lacen; Moral, Canales, Serrano; Xisco

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Barcelona

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been criticised in recent weeks for his lack of production in front of goal. Last weekend the Swede took his first steps to redemption, smashing in a fine close range volley. That was not enough to earn his side any points, but he will be asked to lead the line once more. The former Inter man’s remit is simple: score the goals to give depleted Barca three points.

Racing

Swiss goalkeeper Fabio Coltorti may not be Racing’s first choice goalkeeper, but he has been in good form as the stand-in for the injured Tono of late. He should maintain his spot between the sticks and is sure to be given an immensely stern examination at Camp Nou. His only previous experience of the ground is a 1-0 defeat in January 2008. If he was to limit Barca to one on Saturday, that would be considered a decent effort.

PREDICTION

Despite all their injury worries, and their defeat against Atleti, Barcelona will fancy themselves to bounce back against a Racing side who have struggled in recent weeks. La Blaugrana’s squad is in a marginally stronger state than it was last weekend, and they should also enjoy a marginally better result.

Barcelona 2-1 Racing Santander

Joan Laporta: Always Unpredictable

Barcelona president Joan Laporta spoke to the press ahead of tonight’s crucial clash against Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon, and commented on the unpredictable nature of the fixture in the past few seasons.

The Blaugrana have won only one of their last seven league matches against Los Colchoneros and in 2008/09 they were defeated 4-3 in a classic Liga encounter.

Laporta stated that his side will offer no excuses for defeat despite the squad crisis currently facing Pep Guardiola, who has a number of first team players unavailable including Daniel Alves, Eric Abidal and the suspended Gerard Pique and Rafael Marquez.

He said, “We do not offer any reason or excuse for the losses we have had. There are enough personnel available to win this match. Clashes with Atletico Madrid are very open, and anything can happen.”

Laporta also insisted that he is not concerned by the form or rivals Real Madrid, who defeated Xerez 3-0 on Saturday evening to reduce the gap at the top of the Primera Division table to just two points.

He added, “Our team only has to worry about our game, we should not worry about other teams.”

Nearing £60 Million Deal For Fabregas

Barcelona are reportedly closing in on the £60 million capture of Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas.

The Sunday Mirror claims that sources within the Camp Nou are confident of securing the 22-year-old's signature this summer, with the player collecting a cool £160,000 per week wages, in addition to a £9m signing-on fee.

Fabregas left Barcelona as a 17-year-old to join Arsene Wenger's men, but has been repeatedly linked with a move back to the Catalan giants, increasingly so as the Gunners have endured a five-year spell without a trophy.

Only last week Barca president Joan Laporta publicly denied making an official approach for Fabregas, whilst further reports suggested that Arsenal officials have written to their Barcelona counterparts urging them to avoid fuelling speculation about a potential transfer.

But according to the Mirror a senior Barcelona source said: “It’s no ­longer a question of if but when ­Fabregas comes home.

“Arsenal are in no position to compete with the ­package on offer, although the ­desire of the player to come back far ­outweighs the financial rewards involved.”

Fabregas distanced himself from the speculation following his side's 1-0 win over Liverpool on Wednesday, but it is believed that the Spaniard would welcome a return to his homeland, and the player's father added to the fire by claiming his son would consider his future at Arsenal in the summer.

Player Ratings: Atletico Madrid 2-1 Barcelona

Atletico Madrid

David De Gea - 7: Made a number of saves and some very good stops to keep his side in front.

Tomas Ujfalusi - 6.5: Caught out once or twice but overall it was a very composed performance. Great at surging forward to take the pressure off at the back and put his team back on the front foot.

Alvaro Dominguez - 7: Solid performance, some vital tackles. Looks a vital part of the new look defence.

Luis Perea - 7.5: Let Ibra away from him for the goal. Otherwise shadowed the Swede to great effect all night.

Antonio Lopez - 6.5: Coped well with Barca's interchanging attack but was caught out by Iniesta's runs on a couple of occasions.

Tiago - 7: Really put himself about to thwart Barca's passing game. Eventually booked but did what he needed to do to stop the champions imposing themselves.

Paulo Assuncao - 7: Tireless midfield performance. Quick to keep it moving when Atleti had the ball, when they didn't he refused to give Xavi and co. a yard of space.

Jose Antonio Reyes - 7.5: Alert to latch onto a mishit pass and create the opener for Forlan. Always looked to expose Barca's lack of cohesion at the back. Fully deserved his standing ovation.

Simao Sabrosa - 7: Smashing finish for the second goal and got the better of the stand-in Jeffren at full-back.

Kun Aguero - 6: Got into some great positions but his finishing was woeful. Could have won it far earlier for Atletico.

Diego Forlan - 6.5: Took his goal clinically. Worked hard closing Barca down but rarely threatened again.

Substitutes:

Jurado - 6: Tried to spread the play into the corners to eat up some vital seconds in the final few minutes.

Juan Valera: N/A

Ibrahima: N/A

BARCELONA

Victor Valdes - 6.5: Got a hand on Forlan's and could have done better. For the second he opted to cover the side the wall was covering and came undone. Besides that he made a number of good saves.

Jeffren - 5.5: Against another winger he'd have done just fine as a stand-in full-back but Simao regularly gave him a lot to do and he struggled.

Carles Puyol - 7: Impossible task keeping a makeshift defence together but did well, very often with some typically last gasp tackles and blocks.

Gabriel Milito - 6: He's nowhere near his old self but games like tonight will be a steep learning curve as he looks to return.

Maxwell - 5.5: Caught blindsided on a few occasions and never looked comfortable.

Xavi - 5: It doesn't happen often but Xavi had a bad game. His passing was wayward, he was caught in possession regularly and although he persevered and did some good things he was well below par.

Seydou Keita: Injured early on. No rating.

Sergio Busquets - 5.5: Atleti's intensity in midfield needed Keita. Busquets struggled in a lethargic and uninspiring display.

Andres Iniesta - 7: When the chips are down for Barca he never gives up. If they were to get back into it, Iniesta would surely have been the reason why.

Lionel Messi - 5.5: Made some typical runs and tried to unlock the defence but his efforts were often selfish and he failed to really influence the game.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 6: He scored, that's why he get's a six but in truth he couldn't miss. He looked disinterested and the few balls he did win he wasted. A lazy performance.

Substitutes:

Pedro - 6.5: Looked comfortable on the wing. Gave Ujfalusi a torrid time early on but despite a great work rate, faded as an attacking threat.

Marc Bartra - 6: Seemed more comfortable than Jeffren, even going forward. Maybe deserved to start.

Bojan Krkic - 6: A couple of decent runs but never looked likely to rescue the game.

Atletico Madrid 2 - 1 Barcelona

Atletico Madrid v Barcelona - Lineups/Statistics

La Liga - Fixtures/Results

Atletico Madrid held on for long periods of the game as they managed to keep their noses in front of Barcelona and secure a vital La Liga win.

Atletico Madrid went into the game knowing that a win could move them well clear of the bottom of the table. For Barcelona, the chance was to create a five-point gap between themselves and Real Madrid at the top

An entertaining first half saw a sloppy Barcelona side quickly concede a two-goal lead. However, they managed to get a goal back, which meant that they were never out of the game. The second period of play was a lot grittier and took the pattern of Barcelona trying to get through an organised Atletico defence.

Atletico could have got off to the worst possible start inside the second minute. Goalkeeper, De Gea, nearly fumbled a catch from a weak shot, which would have seen the ball fall right at the feet of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Seydou Keita then had to be replaced just a minute later as he pulled up with what looked like a bad muscular injury. However, there was still enough experience in the away side to be able to dominate the midfield area.

It was Atletico who looked the feistier of the two sides and this paid off quickly when Diego Forlan put the home side 1-0 up inside the first ten minutes. Joe Reyes made a neat little run from the left wing, beating a couple of players before Forlan tucked the ball past an on rushing Victor Valdes.

Barcelona should have replied almost instantly through their big Swedish front man. Ibrahimovic controlled the ball brilliantly, created a little bit of space but was dispossessed just as he was about to pull the trigger.

The La Liga leaders looked a little shell-shocked and Atletico should have doubled their lead through Sergio Aguero. Aguero timed a run superbly to beat the Barca offside trap but for some reason looked for another player when it seemed easier to score. The ball was cleared before the Argentine could think twice.

A second goal came soon enough as Atletico continued their blistering start to the game. Simao curled the ball into the goal beautifully from a free kick on the left side of the area. Valdes watched helplessly as it flew in. Barcelona now had their work cut out.

The La Liga and European champions showed their class and came back with an instant reply in the 27^th minute, against the run of the game. Carles Puyol knocked the ball on from a corner and Ibrahimovic was on hand to volley the ball in at the back post.

Ibrahimovic then rose above everyone else from another corner and connected well with a header. The ball bulleted towards the bottom left hand corner but De Gea got down at the last moment to smother the ball and prevent an equaliser.

Barcelona looked a completely different side as the game neared the half time mark. Lionel Messi combined well with Ibrahimovic before the Swede curled an effort at goal in the 34^th minute. De Gea stretched out a hand to make a world class save but the tide was turning.

To their credit, Atletico dug deep and got stuck in. They kept the ball well in the Barcelona half and still looked good as they defended their lead into the break.

Atletico started the second half slightly the better of the sides. They were keeping the ball a lot better, however, the general feeling of the game was that they would need another to hold Barcelona off for long enough.

Barca quickly found their second half feet, when Ibrahimovic found himself in another superb position. Perea rushed across to snuff out the danger when it seemed that the alarm bells were about to go off in the Atletico defence.

Barcelona then tried to walk the ball into the net before the hour mark, but after a scramble or six, the ball was kicked away with some authority. The away team were going to have to find a little more precision to get level.

Atletico kept chipping away and had a number of players who could hurt the Spanish champions. Aguero managed to tussle past the intimidating figure of Puyol before forcing Valdes to spread his arms and palm the ball wide.

Aguero and Puyol tussled again in the 65^th minute as the Barca captain slid in with an inch perfect tackle. Aguero was looking to nick the ball in front of him and the referee would have had no choice but to award a penalty.

Barcelona were building wave after wave of attack as the last twenty minutes quickly took a familiar pattern. The Atletico defence was looking solid and well organised but just one mistake could mean disaster.

Atletico were playing on the counter. Jose Reyes broke into space and was looking to cut inside before he was axed by Maxwell. Home players surrounded the referee as the Barca man had already been booked but he waved away protests.

Atletico held back their three substitutions to eat away at time during the last ten minutes. A stadium full of Atletico fans were biting their fingernails, hoping that their team could hang on.

Yaya Toure Out For Two Weeks

Yaya Toure will be out for between ten to fifteen days, after picking up an injury against Getafe.

According to Marca, Toure has suffered a break in the abductor muscle in his left leg. He had to be withdrawn during the second half of the match.

Barcelona will face a defensive crisis for next week's game against Atletico Madrid, with Dani Alves, Rafael Marquez and Gerard Pique also unavailable.

Alves Out For Three Weeks

Barcelona will have to do without the services of Daniel Alves for three weeks, after he aggravated his injury in the warm-up before the match against Getafe.

According to Marca, Alves was due to start the game, but suffered further pain during the pre-match warm up. He has been suffering from a fibrilar break in the right leg.

Alves will miss league games against Atletico Madrid and Racing Santander, as well as the Champions League clash against Stuttgart.

Player Ratings: Barcelona 2-1 Getafe

Barcelona

Victor Valdes - 7: Another solid performance, wasn't required for anything spectacular, and didn't make any mistakes.

Maxwell - 7: An encouraging performance on the opposite flank to his usual role, combining especially well with Messi.

Gerard Pique - 3: Paid the price for an irresponsible lunge early on, that left his side at a disadvantage for most of the game.

Gabriel Milito - 7: A calm and assured display, showing why he has already elevated his way up the pecking order since his injury.

Eric Abidal - 6: Didn't get forward much, but kept things quiet down his flank.

Yaya Toure - 7: Was forced to move back into defence after the sending off, and showed that he is more than capable of filling in there.

Xavi - 8: At the heart of everything Barca did, controlled the game even after the sending off, and capped it off with a well taken goal.

Seydou Keita - 5: Played a useful role in midfield, but his night will be remembered for two awful misses.

Lionel Messi - 9: Scored a perfect goal and provided a perfect assist to confirm his status as the best in the world.

Andres Iniesta - 7: Enjoyed his role further forward and at times was impossible to dispossess.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 5: Still looks short of confidence, missing one great chance to break his drought.

Substitutes

Rafael Marquez - 4: Comitted an unnecessary foul in the dying stages to complicate matters for his side.

Sergio Busquets - 6: Played his role well for the short time he was on.

Pedro - N/A

Getafe

Jordi Codina - 6: Can't be faulted for any of the goals, and kept the scoreline respectable with some smart saves.

Miguel Torres - 5: Was given the runaround by Iniesta early on, but improved later.

Cata Diaz - 6: Kept a good handle on Ibrahimovic, but had no answer to Messi later on.

Rafa - 7: Did the best he could against Barca's fearsome attack, and cleared Ibrahimovic's shot off the line.

Mane - 4: Was run absolutely ragged by Messi, about whom he will have nightmares tonight.

Derek Boateng - 5: Full of running in the middle of the park, but didn't provide much creativity.

Dani Parejo - 4: Apart from set pieces, hardly provided any threat, even after the sending off.

Pedro Rios - 6: Showed plenty of determination up front, but couldn't penetrate the defence.

Miku - 5: Had a few half chances that he could have done better with, but generally anonymous.

Juan Albin - 4: Barely saw the ball throughout the match.

Roberto Soldado - 5: Wasted a couple of decent chances, but took the penalty well.

Substitutes

Manu Del Moral - 4: Failed to provide any spark after coming on.

Javier Casquero - 4: Seemed more intent on fouling than trying to find a goal after coming on.

Kepa - 6: Only on for a short while, but did well to win the penalty.

Barcelona 2-1 Getafe

Nine-man Barcelona came out 2-1 winners against Getafe at the Camp Nou through goals from Lionel Messi and Xavi. Roberto Soldado scored a late penalty, but it was no more than a consolation goal.

Getafe were afforded no time to settle into the game as Barcelona attacked from the off. The crowd's excitement was audible when Messi picked up the ball on the right wing in the fourth minute, but his shot was off target.

In the 7th minute, however, his aim was perfect. The visitors failed to clear a routine corner and Yaya Toure teed up the ball perfectly for Messi to curl the ball through a crowd of players into the bottom corner.

After a quarter of an hour, Maxwell danced past two challenges before feeding it into Messi, but the shot was straight at Codina. The keeper denied Messi again minutes later after some great build-up play involving Maxwell and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Getafe finally managed to get out of their own half and win a free kick in the 24th minute, which earned Maxwell a booking. The set piece was poor, but in the scrap for possession that ensued, Gerard Pique went in high and late on Rafa and was given a straight red card.

The hosts were furious with the decision and Xavi earned a needless yellow card for arguing with the referee. Eventually the free kick was chipped into the box and went through everyone, but unfortunately for los Azulones it dropped just the wrong side of the post.

Getafe were able to exert some pressure on Barcelona's makeshift defence, and Miku finally brought a save from Valdes in the 35th minute as he shot from the edge of the box.

The Blaugrana were still dangerous on the counter-attack and could have doubled the lead when Ibrahimovic crossed for Xavi, but his header was poor.

Just before the break, Messi robbed Derek Boateng on the halfway line before slipping Ibrahimovic through on goal, but Rafa got back to clear the Swede's goalbound shot after he had rounded Codina.

Neither side chose to make any changes at the break, although Sergio Busquets was brought on for the ineffective Ibrahimovic just five minutes into the half. Getafe chose to bring on another striker in the form of Manu a few minutes later, eager to get back on level terms.

They should have been 2-0 down just before the hour mark, however. Some excellent skill from Xavi allowed Andres Iniesta to slip Seydou Keita in on goal, but he panicked in front of the keeper and missed the target completely from close range.

Barcelona did finally double the lead in the 67th minute. Substitute Rafa Marquez set up another counter-attack and after Messi ran past several players, he set the ball up for Xavi to sidefoot past Codina from 10 yards for his second league goal of the season.

It was a body-blow for Getafe, who were increasingly wary of being hit on the break, and they began to put in some heavy tackles on the home players. Despite the fact that the Blaugrana were down to 10 men, they were the side that were looking more likely to find the game's third goal.

Messi tested Codina's reflexes with a 20-yard strike in in the 81st minute before Xavi set up Keita, but the midfielder's effort was woeful and posed no threat to the Getafe stopper.

The threat from los Azulones was minimal, with Soldado's effort from the edge of the box in the 89th minute the best that they could muster until they were granted a late penalty in injury time. A high ball was played over the top and Kepa Blanco went down under pressure from Marquez.

The Mexican centre half was sent off, and Soldado rolled the ball into the net from the spot kick. There was not enough time for a fourth goal in the game, and the referee called time on a pulsating contest moments later.

Guardiola: Henry Is Still A Few Steps Ahead Of Pedro

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has admitted he believes youngster Pedro still has a lot of work to do before he reaches the level of Thierry Henry.

Speaking to Sport ahead of his side's match with Getafe tomorrow evening, Guardiola said, “He's still quite a few steps ahead of Pedro,” adding, “I have great faith in Titi [Henry] and I hope he will recover his best form.”

The Barca coach also defended his big money summer signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic amidst criticism about the striker’s lack of goals recently.

“I don’t know to what extent we can talk of a drought. Lots of goals and a lot of plays have been due to Ibra.”

Barcelona host Getafe tomorrow evening and Pep went on to admit he was not expecting an easy match against the Copa del Rey semi-finalists.

“They will not come too tired and will give it their best," he predicted. "They are three points adrift of the UEFA places and are cup semi-finalists. Against Sevilla, we saw what they are capable of."

Dani Alves Returns To Training

Barcelona right-back Dani Alves trained this Friday along with his team-mates after spending much of the past week doing individual work to recover from a muscle injury. As such, Sport reports, the Brazilian could be at coach Pep Guardiola's disposal to take on Getafe at the Camp Nou on Saturday after missing last week's match at Sporting de Gijon.

Left-back Eric Abidal also trained for some minutes alongside the rest of the squad before finalising his individual regimen to recover from his own knock suffered in last week's match.

Guardiola also continued to count on youth player Albert Dalmau, a possibility in the first team to cover for Carles Puyol, who will be out of action this weekend having to serve out a a suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards.

Fiorentina Sign Keirrison On Loan

Fiorentina have secured the loan services of Barcelona striker Keirrison, the Italian club have confirmed on their official website.

The Brazilian frontman, who cost Barcelona €15 million, had signed for Benfica on loan during the summer, but was looking for a new club to flourish after failing to make his mark at the Estadio da Luz.

With the Eagles, Keirrison did not score a single goal in official games, which relegated him to the periphery at the Portuguese club following the winter signings of Alan Kardec and Eder Luis.

The 21-year-old will sign a two-year loan contract with Fiorentina, who have secured the option to make it a permanent deal, following a routine medical with the Viola.

Keirrison will now become Fiorentina's only reinforcement for the attack, after Sampdoria star Antonio Cassano ultimately decided against moving to the Artemio Franchi until the end of the season.