Betis-Barcelona

[Verdiblanco de Holanda]

Real Betis midfielder, Juanma, declared today that even though Barcelona are the best side in Europe, they have to lose at some point.

Los Verdiblancos meet the Catalans this weekend at the Manuel Ruiz de Lopera and the Seville side will be out to end Barca's undefeated streak, according to Juanma.

"They are very difficult opponents because they are the best team in Spain and in Europe, but some day they have to lose," he told Marca.

"We already made it difficult for them in the first meeting and now we want to beat them. Beating Sevilla in their own stadium has given us a great boost of confidence.

"By the way they play, Barcelona will have a lot of possession and create plenty of chances, so we must be prepared to play together and to work hard in defence on our concentration. We must make sure they do not feel comfortable."

Certainly the Manuel Ruiz de Lopera can be a daunting stadium and Betis have played some good matches there so far this season.

Juanma knows that with the players Barcelona have they will be tough opponents - and he believes Lionel Messi in particular will prove troublesome.

"If I had to choose a Barcelona player to not play on Saturday, it would be Messi, as he is the most dangerous. When he plays we have problems," he mused.

On the other hand, Betis will have their own superstar, Ricardo Oliveira, present - and Juanma praised the Brazilian striker.

"He gives you many options and goals, like he has shown at other teams, and with him Betis improve in effectiveness, something we have missed at times," he concluded.

[Verdiblanco de Holanda]

Respuesta: Betis-Barcelona

Real Betis continue to revel in their fantastic derby win over Sevilla on Saturday evening, and there seems to be a new-found confidence stemming from the Verdiblancos in the wake of the result over their rivals.

Strikes from Sergio Garcia and new signing Ricardo Oliveira before a late reply from Frederic Kanoute handed Paco Chaparro a vital three points and eased their relegation concerns.

Oliveira netted on his first appearance since returning to the club for a fee of €8 million from Real Zaragoza in the January transfer window, and has now set his sights on Pep Guardiola's Barcelona, whom they face at the Manuel Ruiz de Lopera this weekend.

According to Marca, the former AC Milan forward said of the clash, "Barcelona will be the overwhelming favourites, but we are playing on our own ground and this means we can fight back.

"If we have a good day we can win. It had been many years since Betis had beaten Sevilla, but we managed it, and we can do the same against Barcelona."

Goal On His Return

Oliveira was extremely satisfied to have found the net on his return to the club he left in 2006, and he also discussed his passionate kissing of the club crest to celebrate the strike.

He continued, "I had nowhere else to put the ball except through the legs of goalkeeper [Andres] Palop.

"When I got the goal I went and kissed the shield. I do this without hypocrisy, because I like this club a lot."

Finally he stated that next season, the Primera Division would see a different Real Betis from the one that has struggled this season.

He finished, "I believe next year we can do very well. This has been a period of transition, but we have taken a lot of confidence from the Sevilla win. We will start next season afresh."

[angle_fbi]

Respuesta: Betis-Barcelona

brother

barcelona very strong team

and iam afraid from them..

but still i think that we can stop them


althogh we miss arzu and nelson and joanito and the king edu

but i hope that our team can make the changes in saturday

[Puma Rodriguez]

Respuesta: Betis-Barcelona

Something tells me that Oliveira is going to make us a beautiful Valentine's present...

[Verdiblanco de Holanda]

Respuesta: Betis-Barcelona

Life doesn’t get any easier for Real Betis after their derby day victory over Sevilla as they welcome Barcelona to the Manuel Ruiz de Lopera on Saturday evening. The Catalan side have not lost in La Primera since the opening day and will be seeking their second win over Los Verdiblancos this season.

Betis Banger

Whatever else happens this season in the green-and-white half of Seville there is no doubt that Saturday February 2 will be the date most remembered by Beticos. For that was the day that they travelled across town to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan and, with the help of the returning Ricardo Oliveira, turned them over in front of their own fans. It might not have been a vintage display or a thrashing but neither of those things will matter to Los Verdiblancos, who have now taken four points from their arch-rivals this season.

The win at Sevilla was not just important for local bragging rights, as it was also just the second win of the New Year for Paco Chaparro’s side. The three points catapulted them up into 14th in the table and with many of the teams below them also triumphing it came at the perfect time. The concern now is that their returning confidence could soon be crushed by Barcelona this weekend, but they will no doubt prove to be a tough test at home.

Just as against Sevilla, the key against the Catalans is likely to be Ricardo Oliveira, who never stopped running last weekend and still looks as sharp as ever. If he and another former Real Zaragoza player, Sergio Garcia, can form a decent partnership then Betis should have no trouble scoring goals, which has been their main problem this season so far.

Brilliant Barcelona

Whilst Betis were celebrating their victory over Sevilla last weekend Barcelona were preparing for their clash with Sporting Gijon, whom Manolo Preciado insisted would come at the Catalans. Whilst the coach was true to his word, his side, like so many this season, were simply pinned back by a dominant Barcelona, and eventually succumbed to a 3-1 defeat. Following the game Pep Guardiola took the rare decision to praise his players, and that could well signal trouble for Betis this weekend.

After all, when, according to the coach, they were not playing at their best, they were still cruising past every team they faced, so who knows how brilliant they will be now? One thing is for sure; Barcelona’s Spain stars did themselves no harm in the week against England as Andres Iniesta and Xavi controlled the match from midfield, and Gerard Pique kept things tight at the back.

The last time these sides met earlier in the season it is fair to say that Betis gave Barça plenty of trouble, and also a scare, as they came from two down to level the match, before eventually losing to a late Eidur Gudjohnsen goal. On this occasion the Catalans will certainly have to be prepared and if Betis can put in a performance like they did last weekend, Beticos could be dancing in the streets again.


FORM GUIDE

Real Betis

Feb 7 Sevilla 1-2 Real Betis (La Liga)
Feb 1 Real Betis 2-2 Getafe (La Liga)
Jan 28 Real Betis 0-0 Real Mallorca (Copa Del Rey)
Jan 25 Recreativo Huelva 1-0 Real Betis (La Liga)
Jan 22 Real Mallorca 1-0 Real Betis (Copa Del Rey)

Barcelona

Feb 8 Barcelona 3-1 Sporting Gijon (La Liga)
Feb 5 Barcelona 2-0 Real Mallorca (Copa Del Rey)
Feb 1 Racing Santander 1-2 Barcelona (La Liga)
Jan 29 Barcelona 3-2 Espanyol (Copa Del Rey)
Jan 24 Barcelona 4-1 Numancia (La Liga)


TEAM NEWS

Real Betis

Paco Chapparo has been dealt a major blow this week with the news that he could be without three first-choice defenders for the game this Saturday.

Nelson and Arzu are suspended for the encounter whilst Juanito and Fernando Vega have injuries and will be evaluated at the last minute. To make matters worse, Damia is also suspended so Betis are likely to have to call on Branko Ilic at right-back, who has played just 21 minutes this season.

Probable Line-Up (4-2-3-1): Ricardo – Ilic, Melli, Ortiz, Monzon – Aurelio, Juanma – Garcia, Emana, Gonzalez - Oliveira

Barcelona

Carles Puyol is still not in the Barcelona squad and Rafa Marquez did not return from Mexico’s game with the USA until late this week, so Martin Caceres could start at the back.

Seydou Keita has been training after some time out but it is unlikely that he will get a starting place, with Pep Guardiola possibly preferring strength in the form of Yaya Toure.

Probable Line-Up (4-1-2-3): Valdes – Alves, Caceres, Pique, Abidal – Toure – Xavi, Iniesta – Messi, Eto’o, Henry


PLAYERS TO WATCH

Real Betis

Ricardo Oliveira made a perfect return in a Real Betis shirt last weekend as he scored against Sevilla and this weekend he will attempt to further justify his hefty price tag with a performance against Barcelona. The pacy striker is sure to have a tough time against the Catalan defence but in front of the home fans he will be keen to impress and will be key for his side.

Barcelona

Barcelona always create plenty of chances and Samuel Eto’o is the man entrusted with putting them in the back of the net. On Saturday evening he is likely to get at least a few opportunities and Betis will more than likely find it costly if they let the Cameroonian out of their sight.

[miocss]

Respuesta: Betis-Barcelona

We are going to kick Barcelona's ass.

[Haush!nKa]

Respuesta: Betis-Barcelona

I have dreamed that we win 2-1 10 minutes before the final's match.

The goal was made by Oliveira.

It was only a dream, but maybe dreams come true.

[angle_fbi]

Respuesta: Betis-Barcelona

it was a great match

paco chabaro read the match

and recardo and emana were the great


we just needed the luck