GUARDIOLA TAKES RISK

Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola is taking a huge risk for the match against Malaga in the La Liga after it was revealed that players like Cesc Fabregas will not be involved in the match.

Xavi and Carlos Puyol are the players who have been handed a rest for the match against Malaga, which is going to be crucial because of the fact that Real Madrid have a five point advantage over Barcelona. Even though there is a long way to the end of the season, many have been pointing that a five-point advantage in the Spanish league is something very crucial.

Only the top three or four teams are capable of playing against the best, whereas the other teams simply crumble against the likes of Barcelona and the Real Madrid. Even though Barcelona have been quite spectacular in the matches against Real Madrid this season, they have failed to deliver the goods when it matters the most against lower opposition. Hence, many have been suggesting that the lead that Real Madrid currently enjoy is almost unassailable even if Barcelona win their home match against Real Madrid later in the season. Barcelona recently won 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Copa del Ray quarterfinals.

One of the biggest advantages Barcelona have in this match will be the fact that Malaga will be without the services of their star midfielder Jeremy Toulalan. Further, Joaquin will also be unavailable as well. Jeremy Toulalan has been the key man in midfield for Malaga this season and the club very much need him to be in the midfield in order to function properly. Despite the arrival of many big-name signings, the reliance on Jeremy Toulalan and his subsequent absence means that Barcelona have a great chance against Malaga during the weekend.

Fabregas Not Scared of Real

Barcelona new boy and former arsenal fan favorite Cesc Fabregas has said in a recent interview that they do not have any reason to fear Real Madrid ahead of The Classic encounter coming in the weekend.

Barcelona are not in the best of forms going into the Spanish Derby and already trail Real Madrid by 3 points, but the capital giants have only played 14 games to Barcelona’s 15, which means that if Barcelona lose the derby, they could see Real Madrid take an almost unassailable 9 point lead, provided Real Madrid win the match in hand. But Fabregas does not seem to be worried too much about this and is of the opinion that the league is not a sprint race but a marathon and with only half of the season played, it will give Barcelona enough opportunities to overtake their bitter rivals and win the Spanish League.

Cesc Fabregas, who returned to his boyhood club after spending 8 seasons under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger is in the form of his life, scoring goals for fun and his partnership with Lionel Messi is almost telepathic but Fabregas believes that the two of them understand each other due to the amount of time they spent together as kids at the academy of Barcelona before he left for Arsenal.

He has already surpassed his total goals tally from last season with only 15 games played in the league so far and bagged a double in the League encounter against Levante last weekend. But according to Fabregas, facing Real Madrid on their own turf is another game altogether but it wouldn’t be difficult as this is almost the same Barcelona team that thumped them 5-0 last season. Cesc Fabregas will definitely make his first appearance against The Whites in the League this Saturday.