No Messi, but morale high

Roger Bogunyà

Barça go into their second of this week’s three La Liga games against Sporting at the Nou Camp this evening(20.00 R@dio Barca)without the injured Leo Messi, but with their morale high and a determination to build on Sunday’s great performance.

After the slip up against Hercules, tonight represents Barça’s chance to chalk up their first home win of the season in La Liga and although they will have to make do without Leo Messi who Guardiola reckons is “ virtually irreplaceable”, the boss went on to sum up the attitude the team will take –“we’ll get by without him” and with the wealth of attacking talent at his service there can be no doubt that Guardiola will send out a team determined to treat the fans to another night of thrilling positive football.

TEAM NEWS

Apatr from the missing Messi, Barça will again be without Abidal following a family bereavement, but Guardiola can call on Jeffren who is recovered from injury. Should he play, Piqué will make his 100th appearance for the team after just two years and two months back at the club. Preciado has suffered late injuries to Novo and Carmelo and he may also introduce rotations with number one keeper Juan Pablo rested and Gregory, Sangoy and Canella all missing the trip as their boss looks to maximise the points from this game and the match against Valencia next weekend.

HISTORY

Sporting’s two visits to the Nou Camp since they were promoted two seasons ago both ended with wins for Barça: 3-0 in the opening game of last season, with goals from Bojan, Keita and Ibra in a game that Messi also missed, and 3-1 the previous year thanks to two strikes from Eto’o and a third from Dani Alves.

FORM GUIDE

Barça bounced back from the defeat to Hercules with a magisterial performance against Atletico Madrid, after handing Panathinaikos a drubbing in the Champions League last Tuesday. Barça are currently in sixth place with six points, three behind leaders Valencia and have scored five goals and concede three. Sporting are lying 12th after starting the season with a heavy defeat at Atletico Madrid, beating Mallorca 2-0 and drawing 2-2 with Bilbao at the weekend.

ONES TO WATCH
Sporting boss Manolo Preciado and Barça’s Pep Guardiola have a good relationship and Pep claimed he had: ”a lot of respect and affection” for Preciado in his pre-match press conference, whilst the Sporting manager expressed his disappointment at Messi’s injury: “he’s done things on the pitch I’ve never seen anybody do before”. David Villa is also a big fan of Preciado’s, stating: “they should build a monument to him”, a compliment returned by Preciado who reckons: “David is the real phenomena!”.