Athletic Bilbao 1-3 FC Barcelona (Matchday 5 La Liga 2010/2011)

Champions Barcelona leapfrogged rivals Real Madrid to go second in the Spanish first division thanks to a 3-1 win at 10-man Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

Barca notched their third consecutive league victory with second half goals from Seydou Keita, Xavi and Sergi Busquets after Bilbao had been reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of Fernando Amorebieta on 33 minutes.

Barcelona also had David Villa sent off in the closing stages as Bilbao made it 2-1 but Busquets scored with the last kick of the game to seal the win.

Barcelona capitalised on Real's slip-up but should have put 10-man Bilbao to the sword at San Mames hitting the post twice and missing other opportunities in their 3-1 triumph.

The visitors were sharp early on ignoring the torrential rain to play their passing game and had two golden chances in the opening quarter hour.

Keita latched onto a Xavi pass on 10 minutes but his shot lacked the necessary power and goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz parried the effort.

Three minutes later Andres Iniesta produced a perfectly-weighted pass for Villa but he crashed his shot against the post.

Barca were on top and were given an extra edge on 33 minutes when Amorebieta was harshly sent off for a late lunge on Iniesta.

Amorebieta was stretching as he caught Iniesta late and his punishment of a straight red card was severe.

With one man more Barcelona failed to make inroads and Mikel San Jose hit the post for 10-man Bilbao four minutes after the interval.

It stung Barca into action with Keita running onto a first time pass from Villa to slot home on 54 minutes.

A deflected shot from Xavi on 73 minutes gave Barcelona some breathing space although they needed a late goal from Busquets to calm their nerves after Bilbao had pulled a late goal back.

Barcelona didn't have Lionel Messi due to an ankle injury but hope to have the Argentine back for the trip to Russia to face Rubin Kazan in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Atlante 1-3 Barcelona

Atlante 1-3 Barcelona: The Blaugrana Fight Back To Clinch Final Berth

The Catalonians eventually showed their class to defeat the Mexicans

The Young Ones: Pedro and Sergio Busquets roar to victory for Barcelona (Getty Images)

Atlante 1-3 Barcelona

Club World Cup Fixtures/Results

Barcelona are through to the Club World Cup final to face Estudiantes after coming back from a goal down to defeat Mexican champions Atlante 3-1 in Abu Dhabi.

Guillermo Rojas had given Los Potros de Hierro a stunning lead after just four minutes, but the Spanish side eventually found their rhythm and goals from Sergio Busquets, Lionel Messi and Pedro handed Pep Guardiola's squad a deserved place in the showpiece event on Saturday.

Barcelona were considered massive favourites to make it through to the final prior to kick-off, and Guardiola opted to leave talismanic forward Lionel Messi on the substitutes' bench, instead starting with a front three of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andres Iniesta and Pedro.

But the Blaugrana could not have envisaged a worst start to the match, as the Mexicans flew from the blocks to take the lead after just four minutes. Guillermo Rojas ran beyond the static Carles Puyol and Dani Alves to lift the ball over Victor Valdes and slide it into the empty net.

It was a shocking goal to concede by the Spanish champions, and their ineptness defensively continued as their offside trap was sprung by Fernando Navarro. However, the midfielder was indecisive when bearing down on Valdes and his cutback eluded his team-mates.

Barcelona enjoyed the huge majority of possession for the remainder of the half, but their play lacked any incision as Atlante defended stoutly on the edge of their 18-yard box.

Long-range efforts from Iniesta and Yaya Toure whizzed over, while an ambitious Ibrahimovic free-kick flew over the crossbar, as Guardiola’s side grew frustrated at their inability to penetrate the Mexicans' goal.

However, the equaliser arrived at a timely moment before the interval, and it took a set-piece routine to drew the European champions level. Xavi’s corner was flicked on by Toure and Sergio Busquets instinctively drilled the ball under the body of Federico Vilar.

Barcelona sensed an opportunity to go into half-time with the lead, and it should have arrived as Dani Alves burst in on goal from one of his trademark forays forward on the right, but he could only shoot into the side-netting and it remained 1-1 at the break.

Guardiola recognised his side’s lack of invention and introduced Lionel Messi seven minutes into the second period. His reshuffle paid immediate dividends as the Argentine put the Catalan giants in front.

Ibrahimovic slid an exquisite through pass into the path of the Ballon d’Or winner, and he rounded Vilar to roll the ball home via the flailing hand of the goalkeeper, to give his side a lead that their dominance of play deserved.

Barcelona were beginning to further exert their influence on proceedings as the match progressed, with Atlante’s flying start looking more and more to be a distant memory, and a two-goal cushion arrived on 66 minutes thanks to a lovely move.

Once again Ibrahimovic was involved, sending Iniesta clear on the left, and the Spaniard drew two defenders towards him before flicking a lovely pass to Pedro, who controlled and nonchalantly lifted his shot into the net from ten yards. It was a picturebook goal from the Blaugrana, and one that edged them closer to more silverware.

To Atlante’s credit, however, they continued to attempt to fashion a route back into the match, and Valdes had to be on his toes to parry a Rafael Marquez Lugo effort as he bore down on goal.

But that was the last attack from plucky Atlante as Barcelona played out the final ten minutes as only they can, maintaining possession and although both Pedro and substitute Bojan should have extended the lead it mattered little - the European giants had successfully negotiated a tricky tie to qualify for the Club World Cup final.

Home grown players give Barca the edge

Home grown players give Barca the edge

Sandra Sarmiento

Pep Guardiola has 10 home grown players who are regulars in his line ups, whilst Manuel Pellegrini has half that number, just 5 who've come up through the ranks.
Barca are the team who've shown most faith in their young players and half of Guardiola's squad are home grown players, whilst Madrid have just 5 players in their squad who started their football at the club.

11 players and 6.500 minutes

Valdés, Piqué, Puyol, Xavi, Busquets, Pedro, Iniesta, Messi, Bojan, Jeffren and Fontàs have all figured for Guardiola's team this season in the league, with Valdes playing every minute, just ahead of the ever present Xavi. Barca Atletic youngster Andreu Fontàs has played least, but has made his debut this season.

Casillas ever-present

Madrid's five local lads are Casillas, Arbeloa, Granero (these last two signed back from Liverpool and Getafe respectively), Guti and Raúl, though only the Spain keeper has proved himself a regular with Pellegrini. Club capitán Raúl González has started just six times and Arbeola just five games.

13- 6

Of the 28 goals Barca have scored in the league so far, 13 have come from the home grown players: Messi leading the scoring with 7, Pedro's got 3, Pique's scored twice and Bojan has one goal to his name. For Madrid, six of their 26 goals have come from their local players – three from Raul, 2 from Guti and 1 from Granero.

El Clasico Preview: Barcelona - Real Madrid

Barca Back In The Groove

Whether you come from Addis Ababa or Zaragoza, you know just how much this one means. This is the big one. Two historic clubs, blood rivals - in the literal sense of the word - lock horns in a 90-minute battle that has roots that run as deep as the ideological rift of the Spanish Civil War.

While Real Madrid have been sailing smoothly, but not spectacularly, in the few weeks leading up to this clash, Barcelona have had to contend with a topsy-turvy run-in due to the injuries to their two big guns, Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahiimovic, as well as claims from their critics that they are struggling to replicate last season’s dominance.

The have, however, only dropped points at Osasuna, Valencia and Athletic Bilbao in what has otherwise been a perfect defence of their Primera Liga crown. And while Madrid are narrow leaders in this year’s title race, Barca are still the team to beat with a perfect home record in the league after five games at the Camp Nou.

The difference between Madrid and Barcelona became evident on Tuesday night against Inter: the champions’ undeniable ability to produce not just wins but impressive performances without their star player and joint-leading scorers, Messi and Ibrahimovic was there for all to witness and admire.

They demolished the best team in Italy midweek without the deadly duo and if you compare that to how Madrid fared against a lacklustre Milan last month, Barca’s quality appears to be on a different level entirely.

It’s not that they necessarily have a better squad than Los Merengues but the players that come in when the big names are absent possess the same fierce hunger, collective spirit and ultimately the same flawless understanding of the Barca philosophy that softens the blow of such notable absences and allows them to play the same game. Perhaps they don’t have the delectable cherry on top but the cake and the icing still taste as good as it looks.

Madrid may lead La Liga with Cristiano Ronaldo back in action but Barcelona have shown that even without their stars the can still produce the results with far greater flair than Madrid’s recent hat-trick of successive 1-0 wins.

Manuel Labour For Madrid

For the Neo-Galacticos, El Clasico is the long-awaited examination. Unable to compete with an insuperable Barcelona last season in the title race or over the two La Liga encounters, Los Blancos stole the summer headlines from Barca’s triplete-winning season as newly elected club president Florentino Perez spent a whopping €254 million in signing consecutive Ballon d’Or winners Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, along with a host of other world class stars in Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso, Raul Albiol, Alvaro Arbeloa, Esteban Granero and new coach Manuel Pellegrini.

Florentino Perez’s new superstar-ship troopers have, at times, shown their promised potential, exhibiting the kind of football that has made the Bernabeu gasp with glee. However, these moments of magic have been short-lived and infrequent and for the better part of 90-minute spells, Madrid have languished in the enigmatic realm of mediocrity.

At times, Los Blancos have even been dreadfully poor, as evidenced by their humiliatingly historic elimination from the Copa del Rey by Segunda B side Alcorcon and their dip in form has curiously corresponded with an ankle injury to Cristiano Ronaldo that kept the Portuguese winger out of action for over a month.

Now, as Madrid prepare to face their first big test of the season in the well-oiled machine that is Barcelona, they do so with many questions yet unanswered: Cristiano Ronaldo has recovered from injury, but can he recover the red-hot form he enjoyed before being sidelined?

After a grey outing in their midweek Champions League match against FC Zurich, can Madrid put together the attractive football that allows them to compete with Barcelona or will they be thoroughly dominated by the Blaugrana as they were last season (and as Barca toyed with Inter in their midweek match)?

Can Madrid make the Liga pendulum swing away from Catalunya and effectively shift the balance of power back to the Spanish capital?

In the press conference after the match against Zurich, Manuel Pellegrini admitted that he and the coaching staff are worried about Madrid’s play and their lack of a brand of football. Will three days of training be enough for Pellegrini to correct the glaring weaknesses in his team’s play?

Having claimed the lead in La Liga, can Madrid open up a four-point gulf against their eternal enemies by handing Barcelona their first Liga defeat of the season?

On Sunday, these and many more questions will be answered, but the exciting quality of El Clasico is that they could be answered within the first minute of play or in the final seconds of stoppage time. One would be wise to prepare the antacid and the defibrillator for this one; drama knows no stage like El Clasico.

FORM GUIDE

Barcelona

Nov 24 Barcelona 2-0 Inter (UEFA Champions League)

Nov 21 Athletic Bilbao 1-1 Barcelona (La Liga)

Nov 10 Barcelona 5-0 Cultural Leonesa (Copa del Rey)

Nov 7 Barcelona 4-2 Mallorca (La Liga)

Nov 4 Rubin Kazan 0-0 Barcelona (UEFA Champions League)

Real Madrid

Nov 25 Real Madrid 1-0 FC Zurich (Champions League)

Nov 21 Real Madrid 1-0 Racing Santander (La Liga)

Nov 10 Real Madrid 1-0 Alcorcon (Copa del Rey)

Nov 7 Atletico de Madrid 2-3 Real Madrid (La Liga)

Nov 3 AC Milan 1-1 Real Madrid (Champions League)

TEAM NEWS

Barcelona

The big news is that Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have shaken off their respective muscular problems and began normal work-out with the rest of the squad, but there’s still no word from the Joan Gamper training ground whether they are fit to start the game, although coach, Guardiola has become well-known for keeping his first XI cards close to his chest.

Dani Alves gave his team-mates a scare when he missed out on Thursday’s session after sustaining an ankle knock against Inter in midweek but he has resumed normal training in Friday’s morning schedule. Yaya Toure is also back having shrugged off his H1N1 viral infection, but he is unlikely to start with Xavi, Busquets and Keita set to pull the strings from midfield again after a dominant midweek Champions League display.

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

Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo had his first minutes back on the pitch on Wednesday against FC Zurich and while there has been no reports of recurring problems with respect to his ankle injury, it is believed that he still feels discomfort and is still well short of match fitness. It is also suspected that Pellegrini will relegate both Gonzalo Higuain and Raul to the bench, opting instead for Benzema and Ronaldo up front with Kaka in a slightly withdrawn attacking role behind the strikers.

In defence, Alvaro Arbeloa will likely be used at left-back and be charged with the nightmarish task of marking Messi - assuming the Argentine wizard is fit to play. Sergio Ramos makes his return at right-back after serving out his red card suspension last week against Racing. Raul Albiol, however, is a doubt after suffering a minor knee injury in midweek Champions League aciton and the stage seems set for Ezequiel Garay to pair with Pepe to complete the back line.

Probable Starting XI (4-3-1-2): Casillas (c) – Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Garay, Arbeloa – Lass, Xabi Alonso, Marcelo – Kaka – Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Barcelona

In this game all eyes will be on the Lionel Messi v Cristiano Ronaldo firecracker, but the man that makes it all happen for Leo and his Barcelona team-mates is influential playmaker Xavi. The midfield mastermind showed the world that the Blaugrana did not miss ‘El Mesias’, or Ibrahimovic, at all in midweek against Inter as he single-handedly tore the Italians apart and his performance will be crucial if the champions are to secure a victory. Messi may not be fully fit come kick-off and in the past, it has become evident that he turns into a mere shadow of himself when he’s suffering from fatigue and lack of sharpness, but take your eyes off him for a second and he will punish you.

Real Madrid

With two consecutive Ballon d’Or winners in the squad, it will be difficult to recommend anyone else on which to fixate one’s attention. Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka showcase some of the best football on offer and it will be extraordinarily entertaining to watch how these two exceptional players are able to squeeze through the closing spaces of Barca’s quickly-tightening defensive noose. Watch for both players to try to touch the ball past the last man in defence in an effort to outrace the defender and create a one-on-one opportunity against Victor Valdes. CR9 has boasted that he will score in this match as well so expect him to try his luck from long range and from set pieces.