Barça might not be moving stadiums after all

It was announced lat November that FC Barcelona were going to be looking for a new home, leaving their current home of Les Corts and moving to a new stadium somewhere between Hospitalet and Barcelona itself. The idea was to increase the capacity from the current 99,354 to 105,000, which to me, doesn't seem like that much of a difference to warrant building a whole new stadium, especially after the fairly recent announcement that Norman Foster would be taking over plans to redevelop the current stadium.

However, the business heads running the club clearly know more about those kind of things than your average Joe (i.e. Me), especially after recently signing a new 25 million dollar deal with Intel (they'll be showing off the new logo this weekend, assuming they score - I onder if the "intel inside" jingle will accompany ?!) and raking it in with the Nike replica kit shirts.

There just seems to be one little hiccup. Apparently the desired land belongs to the university of Barcelona, who have come out and denied any contacts about the beginning of negotiations and categorically deny any interest in selling any of its assets. Now, we all know that in property, that is never a resounding no - everyone has their price, and Barça have revealed that they will leave the decision until early 2014.

What do you reckon? Should they move, or move ahead with the re-modelling of the current Camp Nou ? I can agree with those who will disagree with any move as it's a tradition grain into the city and their fans, but then progression often means moving to a new place. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

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How much is a Barça shirt worth ?

I saw an interesting article this week in the newspapers, which stated that the store at Camp Nou generates more income for Nike than their flagship store in New York City - 35 Million Euros against 31 Million in the Big Apple. So Nike have already made back their investment of the reported 30 Million per year deal - not to mention the amazing amount of branding with all the Neymar Jr and Messi t-shirts. That's not to mention the sales elsewhere of all the Barça shirts - there's a Nike store on Las Ramblas, which I'd bet does a fair trade, as well as so many others around the world.

It makes me wonder just how much they'd be making if they could stem the influx of all the copy t-shirts in the souvenir shops in and around Las Ramblas area. I've been amazed at the quality of the copies over recent years, with real looking tickets with Nike holograms and everything. There are sometimes very subtle differences such as the disappearance of the catalan flag on a sleeve detail for example, of the badge at the bottom of the strip a couple of years ago, but they are generally so good. People are easily confused too. With Barça being one of those teams that changes strips every season, many tourists come in the summer, and buy the "old" strip from either the previous year, or the league season that has just finished. Those store owners aren't daft either - if they can shift some old stock for today's price, they're laughing.

Another fact from the same article relates to the runaway success of the away "senyera" strip this year - for every three shirts sold, two are the away strip, and the buyers "know it's a representation of the Catalan Flag". At least they seem to have taken notice after ditching last year's hugely unpopular orange and yellow tie-die combo. What do you reckon? One of the best shirts this year? Better than the original home? Let me know in the comments!

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Where to Buy FC Barcelona Tickets

This is a question I'm asked an awful lot and although I've written about it before on other people's sites, I thought a quick refresher would never do any harm. Everyone knows that you can buy tickets before you arrive from the official fc barcelona website and then collect them on arrival. That's always the best way, and tickets are released anywhere up to 48 hours before a match so it's best to check there even close to a match day, and even if you're arriving on that day, for example.

What often happens is that people arrive, find out there's a home game on during their stay, and fancy going to the match but can't be bothered to go all the way up to the stadium just in case there are any tickets left only to find the game is sold out and they've wasted a journey. Yes, so this post is for those lazy people! It's much easier to be visiting the central sights of Barcelona and be able to quickly check availability, right?

So, the good news is that there are a few ways you can check for tickets. The first one is ServiCaixa, the cashpoints or ATMs of La Caixa bank. That's right, you can buy football tickets at the cashpoint! How cool is that?! The bank has special machines with large screens where you can buy official tickets, choose your seating and print them out there and then. There are plenty of offices of La Caixa all over Barcelona city centre, so it's an easy option for those with a credit or debit card.

The next place you can try is the official FC Barcelona Store in Maremagnum. Hop over the bridge at the bootm of Las Ramblas, and you'll find the shopping mall area called Maremagnum, and there's an official store in there where you can buy tickets.

Another place to pick up tickets is the Spain Ticket Bureau Kiosk located towards the top end of Las Ramblas. The image below is from their website, and it's obviously an extremely central location, with a big map of the stadium and again let's you choose where to sit and get the tickets directly.

These are the best places I know to get tickets centrally, but if anyone has any other suggestions, please leave a comment and add to the list!

Fancy coming to watch the mighty Barça? OK, they crashed out pretty spectacularly of the Champions League this year, but they can pretty much wrap the league up tonight and are still in the frame to scoop up the Kings Cup. Rent an apartment for groups to save some money and enjoy the space and comfort an apartment offers over a small hotel room.

Barça draws Munich in semis of Champions League

I'm literally typing this as Ruud Van Nistelrooy has just pulled out the name of Barcelona from the cup in Nyon. Barça have got Bayern in the last 4, away from home in the first leg, avoiding as everyone hoped Real Madrid and paving the way for that possible "El Classico" final in Wembley. Obviously that's assuming they can defeat the champions of Germany Bayern, who are looking pretty unstoppable (and have been my favourites to win since a while back - only I've not been very good with my predictions this season!) - although as we've seen with this week's result against Paris Saint German, anything's possible with "the little big guy". 

Of course the other tie sees Mourinho's men travel to Dortmund to face Borussia after their...ahem...fortunate win mid-week against Malaga.

Ties will be played on the 23rd and 24th April in Germany, and the retun legs in Camp Nou and Santiago Bernabau on the 30th April and 1st May (to be decided as I'm still typing). No doubt Barça will be wrapping Leo in cotton wool until then, as well as Cristiano for Madrid. It's cheeky to say that they're both a one man team, but there's proof in the claim if you look at Wednesday's result in Camp Nou, right?!

25th May will see the final in Wembley and what a prospect that already seems like being. Let's hope it doesn't disappoint. Part of me knew the draw troday would have kept Madrid and Barça apart - there's always talk of fixing and warming the balls and all that bollocks, but it does keep the draw still very interesting, because even if Barça do go out to Bayern then there'll always be that "waht if..." thought about what could've been in Wembley.

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Crunch time for Barça !

Well, it's come round fairly quickly this time, but tonight is the return leg of the Champions League match between FC Barcelona and AC Milan. Mourinho's Inter made the trip a couple of years ago but it's the Rosserini who have been on the up and up this season, and already hold a very comfortable 2-0 cushion against les cules.

Tonight's match remains vitally important to the team and the fans, after crashing out of the copa del Rey to Madrid, this is a cup competition that Barcelona would love to win back from Chelsea - who knocked them out last year. I've been reading already about rallying cries from the likes of Iniesta and Pique who are well aware of the difficult task facing the team. A loss would mean Barça will not qualify to the quarter finals - something unthinkable at the beginning of the season. All eyes will be on Camp Nou tonight.

So where is at all going wrong ? Well, there's no denying that Tito Vilanova's absence is an upheaval and disturbance to the team - like an orchestra without a conductor no less - as he continues to receive treatment in New York (God bless, and good luck). Losing a manager at any stage of the season must be a difficult situation, but I was quick to think (obviously wrongly) that such a strong dressing room would have no problem coping with a little shake up - after all, the team almost picks itself, and has hardly had a huge overhaul since the appointment of Vilanova. So it just goes to show how important these things are, and in my book, raises the stock of absent ex-manager Pep Guardiola. In a similar way, I thought that the team Guardiola inherited was amazing, and that in effect, once they were playing at full force they could have beaten anyone anywhere - that any old manager could have ground out those results, right? Well, it just goes to show how important the role of manager is and it'll be really interesting to see how Pep fairs in Germany next season.

So, prediction? I'd love to be positive but can't see it happening. Despite a couple of important injuries to the Milan team, they still come into this game off the back of a league win, and can perhaps give a little more importance to this game over the league which Juve look like running away with. Anyone disagree? Let me know in the comments!

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Football Frenzy Begins!

Last night saw the start of many a groan from a supportive wife as a 9 day football frezy begun. Real Madrid were (deservedly, in my opinion) beaten by Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena - site of the final of this year's Champions League competition. That was the first of a two-leg semi final, and this evening sees the mouth watering Barcelona travelling to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea in their first round tie.

Mourinho - ex-Chelsea boos - has already dismissed Chelsea's chances of progressing past the seemingly invincible Barça, and despite Di Matteo doing a preety good job at chealse since Villas Boas' departure I have to say I agree with him and can't see Chelsea toppling Barça over two legs. I'll predict a tight tie tonight, possibly not much fgootball being played, and it may even end up a draw.

That means next week, Bayern travel to the Bernabeu with a huge advantage of being in front, although Real have that all important away goal. And Chelsea will come to Camp Nou knowing they are still the underdogs.

Sandwiched in between is the small matter of La Liga fixture of a certain Barça vs Madrid this weekend! I still don't know why the Spanish press call this a "derby" when the two teams are hundreds of miles away, but I've kind of got used to it by now, so a derby it is. THE derby. These ties are always hot-blooded affairs  - perhaps more so since Mourinho's arrival at Madrid - and usually cards are dealt out left right and centre. I expect this game to be exactly the same and it may even be a showcase for the possibility of the final everyone outside of Germany is expecting in the Chamopions League final, too. Mourinho always moans that it's impossible to win at Camp Nou but I sometimes think that their players don't do a lot to help themselves either.

It's all shaping up to be a veritable feast of football, right?!! Any predictions from you guys and gals? Let me know in the comments!!

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Last 16 Champions League Just Announced

With both Manchester clubs crashing out of the groups stages of the Champions League fairly surprisingly this month, and neither Arsenal or Chelsea exactly running away with it as far as English football is concerned, one would think that those in the Barcelona camp would be pretty confident of defending the glory of being current champs - despite David Villa's cringe-worthy leg break yesterday in Yokahama. OK, there have been some pretty fantastic results in the qualifyers (Lyon anyone?), but you just can't help thinking that if they can avoid a...ahem.... "top" team bnefore the winter break, then they have all the more chance of progressing with time for people to come back from injury, etc.

So, we've just had the draw for the last 16 for the Champions as well as the Europa, and it's looking as follows:

Lyon v APOEL 

Napoli v Chelsea 

AC Milan v Arsenal 

Basel v Bayern Munich

Bayer Leverkusen v Barcelona

CSKA Moscow v Real Madrid

Zenit St Petersburg v Benfica

Marseille v Inter Milan

So, looking at that, it could have been worse, right? As always, my opnions here are just that - another football bloke giving his 2 pence against coming results and although I've been accused of having a crystal ball in the past, I'm thinking...

No probs for Lyon. Chelsea will scrape through in a dramatic fashion. Arsenal go through but VanPersie injured and their season then goes down pan. Bayern no worries. Barcelona few nerves, but too much for Leyverkusen. Mou to complain about plastic pitch no end but Real go through. Zenit go through cos Benfica players have never felt so cold they just curl up inside themselves. Which leaves Marseille and Inter. Possibly the most entertaining of matches on paper (although you watch now it'll be dull as dishwater!) but I'll got Inter. 

These are the Valentine's weekend fixtures, remember, to be repeated in March in the away legs, so those Leverkusen fans might get a bit of spring sunshine in the fan parks, too!

Anyone else like to chip in with predections?! Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong below!! 

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Last "Classico" tonight - Job Done?

Tonight sees the second leg semi-final of the Champions League between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. After last week's poor advert for what is generally a great sporting event, Barça came out on top after a pretty soft explusion for Real and that man Messi wowed us all with two pieces of individual skill.



As usual, "El Traductor" Jose Mourinho had plenty to complain about when teams were finally allowed out of the dressing rooms after being held back by UEFA representatives at the Bernabau last week to calm things down. Jose's such a bad loser, and blamed almost everyone including UNICEF (Barca shirt sponsor) and every referee that has given a decision against a team he has managed. With the 2-0 advantage, it's looking pretty much like job done, but you never can tell in football, can you? Real certainly have strength in depth and I certainly wouldn't be taking things lightly knowing Kaka is likely to start, despite the suspensions that Madrid are having to deal with.


Barça are taking no chances, and (obviously) have been very calm "job not done yet" kind of comments all week and after last week's win. And they will be wanting to make the atmosphere count as that 13th man, too, tonight in Camp Nou. Each seat will have people posters to make the Catalan and Barça flag, and there will be 1500 brave Madrid fans who will be taking their seats - presumably alongside Jose Mourinho who was sent to the stands last game and misses this one, too - in the stands to cheer on their team.

I'll be hoping for a proper game, a lot less scrappy than last week, and I really think it could go one of two ways. Mourinho won't want to be carved open on the counter so won't go all out attacking, but then again they need to score at least 2 goals to have options in the game which is no mean feat away from home. I think he might just try and stifle the game and play too defensively and rely on the odd set piece to try and get the gaols. However, I hope I'm wrong, and he throws caution to the wind!! We'll have to see.


By the way, if you're looking for somewhere special to watch the match, you can choose from one of the city's finest terraces to watch the match if you like. Don't think it'll be raining looking at the skies today!

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Copa del Rey Big Screen Or Not?

This evening sees the second of four encounters of FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid - the first being a 1-1 draw in the league on 16th April. Jose Mourinho has been heavily criticised for the way he went about the game, but has responded by being "not bothered" in typical style.



Tonight's game is the final of the King's Cup and obviously cannot end in a draw. The game is being played at Valencia's Mestalla stadium and tickets have been sold out for a long time. Barça are perhaps favourites with their record in the cup (25 wins) and their all-round football this season plus their slender lead in La Liga too.

I was alerted this week for plans of a Big Screen to broadcast the match at Plaça Catalunya, so imagine my surprise when the big screen today is displaying the note of "The match will not be broadcast" ?! Now, I don't know if that's because it was TV3 and the match is not going to be broadcast on TV3 or if the powers that be have really decided not to put the match on at all.

Unfortunately, FC Barcelona fans have a poor record of public behaviour (whether they win or not) and given the date co-incides with a huge influx of tourists due to it being Easter Week, maybe the authorities have decided against people being caught in the crossfire? There was no-one around to ask and check, so I'm unsure!!?

Let's hope for a great match this evening, much more open as points are not at stake, and another great dress rehearsal for the up-coming semi-finals of the Champions League featuring the two teams again.

Anyone shed any light on the big screen? Is it or isn't it? Seems a waste to set the whole thing up, then not show the match, right?!

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Easy Champions Quarter Draw for Barça

The draw for the quarter finals of this year's Champions League has just been announced and looking at the fixtures, you'd have to fancy Barcelona to go straight through with pretty much no fuss - with no disrespect to Shakhtar. Here are the fixtures:


Real Madrid vs Tottenham

Chelsea vs Manchester United

Barcelona vs Shakhtar Donetsk

Inter Milan vs Schalke 04

The semi final draw would therefore be:

Real Madrid/Tottenham vs Barcelona/Shakhtar

Inter/Schalke vs Chelsea/Man Utd

Quick thoughts? A very tasty looking semi-final between Barça and Real looks likely - Guardiola has the enviable selection problem of having everyone fit apart from Puyol and Abidal at the moment, and I'll tip them now to definitely get to the final (although I would have done before today's draw as well!).

As for Chelski vs Man U - that's going to be a really tough one to call and will depend entirely on who turns up on the day. I fancy Chelsea, just because cracks seem to have appeared in Manu U recently and Chelsea already have the psychological advantage of beating Utd this season - a result which kind of kick started their season again. I'll stick my neck out and say Chelsea over the two legs to meet Barcelona in the final.

What about you guys? any predictions ? Please share in the comments below!!

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Champions League Tonight - Déjà vu?!

Talk about classic football games! Tonight sees the second night of a welcome return to the knock-out stages of the Champions League with FC Barcelona travelling to London and the Emirates to face Arsenal in a repeat fixture from last year. Gone are the paper stories this year of "Cesc coming home" and the like - perhaps fuelled by constant speculation that Real Madrid will be bidding for him (handily this morning's press has a story with Perez denying the fact).

Barcelona will be looking to regain the title of Champion of Europe after going out last year to Inter, the actual champions and Arsenal looking to avenge their defeat from last year, too. With neither team dipping into their debt ridden pockets to bolster squads in the January transfer window there is no reliance on a new addition to shine, rather the usual suspects will need to be on their game. It will surely be a show of the two football minds in reality - Arsene Wenger with his football philosophy of how he wants to play, and Barça actually playing that way without (seemingly) really trying. Messi has even come out to say the Barça players are scared of Walcott.

Lets hope for a great game and although I think Arsenal will really have to be on top of their game in every position to win over the two legs, they have a good chance with the home advantage tonight and I'd love them to win for the tension that the return leg in Barcelona will bring along with it. It's always better when a team just HAS to come out attacking as they have no other option, than a cagey draw playing for the breakaway goal like so many of last year's world cup matches. Nobody wants to lose and sometimes "football" can be sacrificed for to that end. Prediction? OK, I'll say 2-1.

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El Clasico - on a Monday?!

Well, November in the football calendar usually throws up one of the best fixtures in the Spanish Primera Liga - FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid. 2010 is no exception with an end-of-the-month lock of horns between the two best teams in Spanish football history. Pigs heads are not an uncommon appearance, and there really is a searing rivalry between the two teams. As if you didn't already know.



Much can be made of this year's paper talk - No Ibrahimovic (scorer of last year's winning and only goal), Messi vs Ronaldo, the return of "El Traductor" (again), etc. etc. However, one of the stories occupying the column inches this morning is the actual date of the tie. Yes, 29th November is the exact same date as last year's fixture, which is of no co-incidence, apart from that fact that we're in the Gregorian calendar, so that means it's a Monday.



No, TV deals made no impact on this decision, it's all down to the Government elections scheduled for the same day as the planned game, Sunday 28th. Apparently, all of those people working at the ballot boxes might not get to the ground in time (read: we don't have enough Police for the two events) and obviously Mourinho has already started his mind games. Now any other European readers might be wondering what all the fuss is about. Monday night football has become a bit of a tradition in many parts, and is an excuse for a cheeky pint on a Monday in England ("it's the Football, love"), but not in Spain. Oh, no, as you can see from the poll above, 42% of fans say Monday night is sacred for something other than football. Even Enrique Cerezo, president of Atletico Madrid says the same (not sure why he was asked his opinion on a Barça - Madrid match, but there you go). Personally, I couldn't give two hoots as to when they want to play the match as long as it's a good game, but I bet there's more than one rushing to change plane tickets and accommodation having banked on it being the Sunday night, and then having to work out excuses for a sicky on Monday and probably Tuesday now...I can feel a cold coming on, can you shut that window?

Any thoughts on the change? Does it really matter? Let me know in the comments. I'd love to hear. Also, if you're thinking of coming for the match weekend, check out BCN Rentals for some central apartments and their Barcelona Guide for a quick look at the city sights.

FC Barcelona Continues defence of Champions

Tonight is the first leg of the semi-final of the Champions League between Inter Milan and FC Barcelona. Jose Mourinho, manager of Inter, worked with Bobby Robson in his time at Barcelona, so the fans call him "el traductor" (his Spanish was much better than Bobby's!). The match also sees Samuel Etoo face his old team mates of Barcelona and in fine form.



The FC Barcelona players were forced to take a coach trip from Barcelona all the way to Milan due to the volcanic dust cloud which is still hanging over many parts of Europe. Whilst many might think this is an excuse for tiredness and the like, Guardiola has stated that he'd much rather travel 14 hours on a bus to play in the semi finals of the Champions League than stay at home on the sofa. Very true.

I think this will prove a very tough test for the Catalan team, as Inter are playing some good football and certainly know how to mark people out of the game. I expect Messi, for example, to have a pretty quiet game in comparison to his incredible performance against Arsenal.

The return leg of the match in Barcelona is to be played on the 28th April. If you fancy coming to Barcelona to watch the match, check out these Barcelona Apartments for a comfortable stay. And for a quick look at the main city sights, check out this guide to Barcelona.

Nail-Biting time for Football Fans

This Tuesday sees the return leg of the Champions League Quarter Final between FC Barcelona and Arsenal. Tipped to be favourites to retain the title this year, Barcelona looked well on the way to cruisuing into the semis after two relatively easy goals from the gunners point of view put the Catalans ahead. The statistics from the game made grim reading for the Londoners with Arsenal only mustering up 30% posession over the 90 minutes and 6 shots on goal, compared to Barcelona's 17 shots and almost 70% posession.



However, a spirited second half display and some inspirational substitutes in the form of Theo Walcott saw Arsenal draw level for a magnificent 2-2 game of football. It was a real spectacle and I watched the game on TV3 (local channel here) where the commentaters were literally drooling over the first half performance (Pep Guardiola later claimed it was the best his team has performed).

Local lad Cesc Fabregas - who was a doubt before the game after bruising in the Premiership match against Birmingham (which they drew) won a last-gasp penalty, and as a result Carles Puyol was given his marching orders. Cesc slammed in the penalty to draw level, but it was bitter sweet, as he is now out for the rest of the season after breaking his fibula (not sure at this stage if it was already broken, and the match has further aggravated the injury). It matters little, as Fabregas had earlier received a yellow card in the match, meaning he would have missed the return trip to Camp Nou anyway, through suspension. Arsenal also have another few injury worries, with Arshavin limping off with a calf strain, and William Gallas also strechered off.

So it all makes for a thrilling night this coming Tuesday. While Barça have the home advantage and still look favourites, you can't help but think them taking their foot off the gas a little on Wednesday made them a little complacent, and anything can happen in football, right? What do you think? Are Barça untsoppable or can Arsenal cause an upset? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

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Cesc Comes Home in April

Today's midday draw for the quarter finals of the Champions League has seen current Champions Barcelona draw Arsenal in the quarters (a repeat of the final in 2006), and then the winner of either Inter or CSKA in the semis, making it look all the more possible a repeat of last year's final against Manchester United, who have Bayern Munich and then either Bordeaux or Lyon.



Barcelona made easy work of Stuttgart in the end, despite me thinking it wouldn't be a walkover, and that man Messi was of course at the forefront of...well, almost everything. Obvious comparisons have been drawn in the press with Manchester United's current genius, Wayne Rooney. Rooney is on one more goal than Messi as of today for the season, and apparently Ferguson has challanged Rooney to see if he can beat Cristiano Ronaldo's total of 42 the season before he left.

The Quarters are obviously tinged with those little in-game dramas like Thierry Henry facing his old club after his move here in 2007. And then gunners captain Cesc Fabregas returning "home" to play in the Camp Nou. If you'd have told me that draw 2 months ago, I would have had no doubt that Barça would beat them, maybe even whup them but now I'm not so sure. I think Barcelona will edge it but it won't be as easy as many will think. Wenger has already come out and said he thinks they won't be favourites, but to not focus on themselves rather the game. Ties are played last Tuesday and Wednesday of this month, with the Barcelona home tie on the 6th April. Anyone esle have predictions they'd like to share? Please leave comments below.

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New Fertility Method Discovered in Barcelona - Watch Football

A funny story in the press this week made me smile. Apparently this week has seen a particularly large amount of births in Barcelona - larger than normal. According to Mercedes Rodriguez, supervising nurse in the Hospital Quiron of Barcelona, they are used to welcoming around 8 or 9 little people into the world on a daily basis, but this week has seen up to 14 or 15 daily births. And the reason for this baby boom? Football, of course.


Exactly 9 months ago, Andres Iniesta fired FC Barcelona into the finals of the Champions League final with a last-minute goal against Chelsea in Stamford Bridge. Who can forget Didier Drogba's insulting launch at the cameras? Barcelona went on to win the final of course, and then pretty much everything else that was thrown at them, leaving last season as the most successful for any team with an amazing five cups in one season - an unbelievable feat. Local radio ComRadio, even went as far to suggest that that the birth rate had increased a massive 50%!!

Not surprisingly, names such as "Andres" (Iniesta) and the rest of the Barcelona squad will be heavily registered this week. Not sure about the girls, although I suppose "YaYa" (Toure) could be a bit unisex ? No offence there to YaYa Toure, just thinking of possibilities here. Any suggestions? Leave me a comment below please!

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FC Barcelona Face Stuttgart in Champions League

Noon today saw the Champions League draw for the last 16. Obviously not quite as nerve racking than the recent World Cup draw in Cape Town, but nevertheless an important date in the football calendar taking place in a city which has nothing to do with football, really (sorry Zurich fans there!). There are some tasty ties, with David Beckham probably rubbing his hands together in glee as he'll be returning to Old Trafford with AC Milan in March, and Jose "el traductor" Mourinho returning to Chelsea with Inter Milan - who current boss Carlo Ancelotti used to manage. I doubt whether either manager will be sending Christmas cards this year, given recent comments shared between the two.



FC Barcelona have drawn FC Stuttgart of Germany. First tie is to be away in Germany, and then March will see another set of German supporters descend on the Catalan Capital much like last year. Watching the draw live on TV3 today, the commentators seemed to be very happy with the draw, and commented on Txixi Begiristain's "poker face" as he looked a little concerned/disappointed with the team drawn. Well, although I do fear for Stuttgart against the current champions of europe, I don't think it'll be a walk over. Stuttgart have recently changed managers, and will prove a tough test in my opinion. We'll see.

In the meantime, Barça have the small matter of the World Club Cup final to attend to in Abu Dhabi tomorrow. Barça will play Estudiantes of Argentina and will want to add to their great season of cups and trophies so far. Good Luck Barça!

What do you think about the draw? Let me know if the comments! And if you fancy making the trip over in March, then check out these apartments for rent in Barcelona and for a great idea of what to visit while you're here, see this Barcelona Guide.

Stuck for a Tuesday Night? Muse over Milan.

Tonight sees a very important gamer in the Eufa Champions League with FC Barcelona facing Inter Milan in the Camp Nou. There are various reasons why the press are lapping up this tie - the return of "el traductor" Jose Mourinho to Barcelona, who was Bobby Robson's assistant during his time here. Mourinho of course has been back before with Chelsea, and was jeered by the fans as a simple "translator" to Bobby Robson - all this at the height of his "special one" comments.



It's also a return to the Camp Nou for Samuel Eto'o - a former Barcelona star. He has said this week in the press he will "never celebrate a goal in Camp Nou" -respect for the African who when he first came to Spain claimed he would "earn like a white man to run like a black man". Add to this a bout of swine flu, a couple of your typical injury problems and the fact that nothing short of a win will do for the current holders Barcelona, and it's shaping up to be a very tasty tie.

Inter sit top of group F, and look certain to progress, whereas Barcelona have won only one game so far in qualifying and if results elsewhere go against them, they could be the first ever team who are the current champions not to progress from the group stages.

On the opposite side of the city, English rockers Muse play the Palau Sant Jordi - on a date which they had to move. Muse were due to play this weekend on Friday the 27th, and were forced into a date change due to the Spanish National Tennis team training for the Final of the Davis Cup this weekend - also to be hosted in the Palau Sant Jordi. Muse have a fairly serious Spanish following - Palau Sant Jordi is the biggest music venue for Live Groups and is expected to be full. You can bet, though, that those with smart phones will have one eye on the concert and one eye on the game!

Are you going to either event this evening? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. And if you're coming to Barcelona this coming winter, check out these apartments for rent in Barcelona, as a great money saver. For a heads up on the rest of the city, see this great Barcelona Guide.

Barcelona Football Riots

Spanish press and in particular the Barcelona news reporters (both printed and Televsion) are quick to point the finger at foreign football fans as the cause of the biggest problems. However, recent events in the city have caused a great deal of problems, too. Those of which the root is much closer to home.

Last weekend FC Barcelona had a home game against Villareal, a game which had Barcelona won would have seen them clinch the Spanish league title against near rivals and arch enemies Real Madrid in second place. This was also the Sunday of the Formula 1 Grand Prix and an expectant city had giant screens in Plaça Catalunya - the city's main square. In an enthralling match, with another red card (as in the Chelsea match), Barcelona threw away the lead to draw 3-3. Title celebrations would have to wait.

This did nothing however, to stop what has been seen to be a typical celebration in the city since the 2006 Champions League victory in Paris, and an onslaught in the city centre ensued with violence, damage to public property and public bins burned, etc. The city's subsidised bike hire - Bicing - suffered damage to the value of a massive 400,000 Euros. Local Police - the Mossos de Esquadra - have vowed to ensure that Bicing stations will be emptied for further possible disturbances during sporting events.



And so arrives last Wednesday night, Final of the Copa del Rey - FC Barcelona vs Atletic de Bilbao in Valencia's Mestalla stadium. Barcelona are victorious, beating the Basuqe rivals 4-1, and again the city sees disturbances until the early hours of the morning, including 50 arrests, and 1 man falling into a river and dying (outside of Barcelona in nearby Girona). Again, bottles were thrown, public property destroyed and bins were burned. Rubber bullets were used, and 33 Police officers needed treatment.

This weekend Barcelona play Mallorca away from home on Sunday, but victory could be theirs on Saturday if Real Madrid lose to Villereal - a possibility given the current form of both teams. Even if Barcelona don't win tomorrow, there are still some games left, too, making the league title almost a foregone conclusion. If this is the case, the city will again brace itself for some inevitable damage, with the worst yet to come.

On the 27th May in Rome, Barcelona and Manchester Utd will contest the final of this year's Champion's league final - assuming Barcelona win the league and after winning the Copa del Rey, they would be on course for an unprecedented triple - something no Spanish team has ever done before.

Comments welcome as always guys - Were you around this week during the disturbances? Anthing to report? Please feel free to leave a comment.

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FC Barcelona All Set to Clinch League Title

Last night FC Barcelona - Barça to the fans - made easy work of Sevilla in the fantastic Camp Nou stadium to extend their lead at the top of the Spanish Primera division to move 6 points clear of nearest rivals Real Madrid. Despite resting goal-machine Leo Messi, Pep Guardiola's team eased past Seville beating them 4-0 in front of a packed Camp Nou.



Fierce rivals Madrid are the nearest team challenging for the title, and the pressure seems to be getting to the players, after recent 5 goal thriller against Getafe saw Real's Pepe see red, for giving away a late penalty and then take a swing out with his boot at the Getafe player. Spanish FA have suggested they may make an example of Pepe and ban him for the rest of the season.

All this is leading up to "El Classico" of Real Madrid vs Barça on Sunday 3rd May by which is shaping up to be a fantastic game with all to play for. Previous encounters between the two teams have also seen fans boil over with the incredible image of a pig's head being thrown at Luis Figo during one match - one player who left Barcelona to move to Madrid.

Barcelona are also on course to reach the final of the UEFA Champions League - with only English millionaires Chelsea standing in their way. Barcelona play host to the London club on the 28th April in what is sure to be a classy, but tense affair. Barcelona are favourites to win, but Chealsea can't be dismissed lightly given their recent victory over Premier League rivals Liverpool in the quarter finals, and manager Gus Hiddink's massive experience at European level. It's all shaping up to be an exciting end to the season for Barça fans!

For more information about the city of Barcelona, see this comprehensive Barcelona guide. And for your accommodation needs, try checking out these self-catering apartments for rent in Barcelona as a great alternative to your hotel choices.