LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB V BARCELONA

Barcelona against Liverpool is always a mouth watering prospect, and with Barca`s present internal feud its even more-so. I don't buy into most media outlets predictions that the present in-fighting amongst Barcelona`s top stars somehow gives Liverpool football club a major advantage. It could just have the opposite effect.

Wednesday night at the Nou Camp Pitts 2 of the best players on the planet against each other Ronaldinho v Gerrard, but that has become a sideshow with the current Barca problems.
Samuel Eto'o is a diva, and his little tantrum this week has illustrated why the club is always bigger than one players ego. This whole episode of stupidity came from Frank Rijkaard telling Eto´o that he would play the last 25 mins in a game against Racing Santander. If Rijkaard actually guaranteed Eto'o 25 mins of football in that game then he is in the wrong, as with war, football`s best laid plans are thrown out the window when the first ball is kicked, and after that its up to the manager to react to the circumstances of the game.
If Barcelona needed a defender with 25 mins to go, surly the team gaining 3 points out weighs Eto'os personal ego to play. He was asked to come on in the last few minutes, but refused.
This has started a tit for tat between Eto'o, Rijkaard and Ronaldinho in the spanish media initiated by Eto'o but sadly for Barca their manager and star player have joined in and not done the most sensible thing by trying to sort the off-field problems within the club away from the glare of the media.

A lot of media outlets have made heavy of these Barca problems and said there is not a better time to play the catalan giants, but i disagree.

Some one has to get the backlash eventually from the Barca problems and it is most likely to come in one of the bigger games and they don't come much bigger than Wednesday nights game, imagine Ronaldinho and co`s motivation before the Liverpool clash, the chance to show the world that they are a united squad of players, i expect a more fired up Barcelona than we would have seen before their recent problems surfaced. So maybe the advantage is in Barcalona`s favour.

Mind games and who has what advantage aside it should be a very interesting game, Rafa Benitez has a great record against the Catalans and the spine of the team that knocked Barcelona out 2 years ago will be starting the game on Wednesday so Liverpool will not fear or become over awed by Ronaldinho and co.

Rafa Benitez is experienced enough to see all this, so i expect a Liverpool fc team to walk out on the Nou Camp on Wednesday night ready and fully prepared to do battle.

Liverpool fc have had the the opposite sort of week than their opponents, a much needed break in the sun in Portugal after their 2 bad results in the last 2 weeks and it was badly needed to try to find out why the magnificent run of results before the Everton game was halted and figure out how to return to winning ways.

Despite Barceona`s off-field problems, Liverpool face the best football team in Europe, Rijkaard has chopped and changed his side this year but still they lead the spanish league and are still the favourites to win the champions league and this is what Rafa must drum into his players over the next few days. Liverpool perform better as the underdogs so Rafa must convince his players that they have an uphill struggle.

As this tie is over 2 legs the away goals rule is so important, if Liverpool are to continue in this competition a goal from the scousers on Wednesday is so important. Even though Anfield has become a fort we really don't want Barca coming there on a nil nil draw from the first game meaning their goals are worth more than ours.

And it will be interesting to see Gerrard and Ronaldinho, in my opinion the 2 greatest footballers in the world today but for very different reasons, Ronaldinho for his individual breathtaking skill, and Gerrard for his no-nonsense tackling, passing shooting and cajoling his team onwards. It will be interesting to see which man has the biggest influence over the 2 legs.

In Rafa we trust, and in this we must trust him more than normal, because he has turned over the Catalans more than most.