FC Barcelona VS Athletic Bilbao Copa del Rey Final 30-05-2015

FC Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao
Competition: Copa del Rey Final
Match date: 30-05- 2015

Kick Off Time: 15:00 BST

Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain

FC Barcelona enter the weekend with 1 of their 3 targeted trophies obtained, and victory here would leave them with just the UEFA Champions League Final to clinch a treble-winning season. It has been a fantastic debut campaign for manager Luis Enrique, and while the boss may not get as much credit as he deserves, he will certainly be back next season. However, that could all change if FC Barcelona lose their final 2 matches, and considering the fine form that Athletic Bilbao are in, they would be wise not to look past Los Leones this weekend.

However, FC Barcelona will have their Copa del Ray Final defeat from last season still very much on their minds as Saturday approaches. They last claimed the cup in 2012 and will want to add to a league-best 26 Copa del Ray trophies, and confidence will come from the fact that they have won all 8 of their matches this season in the competition. Furthermore, they have put a lot into the cup having defeated top-flight opponents Elche, Atletico Madrid, and Villarreal, and they should have what it takes against Athletic Bilbao, who the hosts defeated in both meetings this season (2:0, 5:2). While Suarez is an injury doubt and will most likely sit out with an eye towards next weekend’s UEFA Champions League Final, Pedro has smashed in 5 goals in the competition so far and is a perfectly reliable replacement for the Uruguayan.

Athletic Bilbao team was able to salvage a horrendous start to their 2014-2015 campaign and can now put the icing on the cake with some silverware. While that may be a bit out of their reach, Los Leones will still take Europa League qualification no matter the result here, though with 7-straight unbeaten matches entering the weekend, they will be confident. Furthermore, their first trip to the Camp Nou this season saw them nearly stifle the Catalans as they finally conceded late into the 2nd half (lost 0:2), and coming off the back of a 4-0 thumping of Villarreal, a Los Leones title isn’t that farfetched of a proposition.

However, while Bilbao have claimed the 2nd-most Copa del Ray titles in history (23), they have not won one since 1984, and their 2 last visits to the title game have concluded in defeat to FC Barcelona. They lost both La Liga meetings with the Catalans by multiple-goal margins of defeat, and this Saturday’s title clash will unluckily be played at the Camp Nou, where the hosts have built a nearly-impregnable fortress in domestic action. Still, the visitors will be confident and should give Barcelona a test here, especially with Suarez expected to sit out. Unfortunately for Athletic Bilbao and their loyal support, they still must face Messi and a well-rested Catalan defence.

Probable lineups:

Barcelona: ter Stegen - Dani Alves, Mascherano, Pique, Jordi Alba - Busquets, Rakitic, Iniesta - Lionel Messi, Suarez, Neymar.

Athletic Bilbao: Herrerin - de Marcos, Etxeita, Laporte, Balenziaga - San Jose, Benat - Williams, M. Rico, Aketxe - Aduriz.

You can watch the match here: Link 1 , Link 2 [Live Scores]

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Dnipro vs Sevilla 2-3 Highlights Europa League Final 27-05-2015

Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk vs Sevilla
Competition: UEFA Europa League Final.
Match date: 27 /05/ 2015
Venue: Stadion Narodowy, Warszawa, Poland

Goals:

Dnipro – Nikola Kalinic 7, Ruslan Rotan 44;  

Sevilla – Grzegorz Krychowiak 28, Carlos Bacca 31, Carlos Bacca 73;

Sevilla could defend their Europa League title when they won the game against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in Warsaw, Poland. Dnipro’s Matheus had to be stretchered off after suffering a broken nose in a collision. The game ended with 2-3 scoreline.

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Barcelona vs Bayern Munich Champions League Semi-Final - 06-05-2015

Barcelona vs Bayern Munich - Competition: UEFA Champions League Semi-Final

Barcelona are putting it all together and have now gone unbeaten in 27 of their last 28 competitive outings. They have impressively managed to claim victory on 26 of those occasions while not only finding themselves in the Champions League Semi-Finals but also in 1st place in La Liga and in the finals of the Copa del Ray. The treble is still within their grasp, and with their South American attack trio of Messi, Suarez, and Neymar all hitting top form at the right time, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them do so.

Therefore, the Catalans have an excellent shot at claiming a 1st-leg lead here, especially considering the Bavarians may not be without all of Arjen Robben, Frank Ribery, David Alaba, and Robert Lewandowski. Furthermore, the hosts have won 18 of their last 19 competitive fixtures at the Camp Nou, outscoring their opponents with a whopping 69 goals to just 11 conceded. They have held a clean sheet in 5 of their last 6 outings at home and have won 9 of their 10 UCL fixtures this season. There is a bit of concern here from the fact that the hosts were demolished by the Bavarians in 2012/2013, falling on aggregate 0:7 over the 2-legged tie. However, we feel that that will only serve to inspire and motivate the Catalans here, and taking into account the astonishing 108 goals that all of Messi, Neymar, and Suarez have combined for this season, it would be a bit of a surprise if they don’t take some sort of lead into the 2nd-leg match.

Bayern Munich hit the road this midweek with an ailing squad bereft of Arjen Robben after the Dutchman picked up a calf injury in their DFB-Pokal Semi-Final clash with Borussia Dortmund. His absence alone leaves plenty of reason for concern for their UCL chances, but now the Bavarians may also be forced to play without Robert Lewandowski and Frank Ribery here while David Alaba will continue to sit the sidelines. Manager Pep Guardiola now has a real selection headache on his hands and he may opt to go with a false 9 approach with Thomas Muller covering for Lewandowski. The Spanish boss will be making his first competitive trip to the Camp Nou since leaving the Catalonia club in 2012.

However, Bayern Munich have shown some worrying signs of late and have now fallen to defeat in their last 2 competitive fixtures. They have lost 4 of their last 10 matches in all competitions, which is more defeats than they had picked up in their previous 40 competitive outings (friendlies not included). Injuries have certainly been a long-running concern for the visitors this season and they’ll be used to the fact that they won’t be playing with their full-strength squad once again. However, a trip to the Camp Nou couldn’t come at a worse time for the ailing German outfit, who have lost 2 and drawn 1 of their last 3 Champions League road trips. While it wouldn’t be a shock to see the visitors take something here, it is not expected as Barcelona are running rampant at the moment and should take advantage of the travelers’ important absences.

Barcelona last 5 matches:

15/04/15 PSG 1 – 3 Barcelona
18/04/15 Barcelona 2 – 0 Valencia
21/04/15 Barcelona 2 – 0 PSG
25/04/15 Espanyol 0 – 2 Barcelona
28/04/15 Barcelona 6 – 0 Getafe

Bayern Munchen last 5 matches:

15/04/15 Porto 3 – 1 Bayern München
18/04/15 Hoffenheim 0 – 2 Bayern München
21/04/15 Bayern München 6 – 1 Porto
25/04/15 Bayern München 1 – 0 Hertha BSC
28/04/15 Bayern München 1 – 1 P Borussia

Match date: 06 -05- 2015
Kick Off Time: 19:45 BST
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona
 
You can watch the match here: Link 1 , Link 2 [Live Scores]

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Hull City vs Arsenal English Premier League - 04-05-2015

Hull City vs Arsenal 

Competition: English Premier League
Match date: 4 May 2015
Kick Off Time: 20:00 BST
Venue: Kingston Communications Stadium, Hull 

After two wins in a row, Hull are now 4 points above the relegation zone. Last weekend they won against Crystal Palace 2:0 and on Tuesday they played a postponed game against Liverpool. M. Dawson scored in minute 37′ and it was the only goal in this game, they won 1:0. This 6 points made them jump from 18th position to 15th. They are also on the 15th place in home table, from 16 games played they gained 19 points with five wins, four draws and seven defeats. Hull won 3 of their last 5 home games played, that’s a really good statistic for a low table team. They lost to Chelsea FC, but we can say that this score (3:2) was unlucky for them. It was Hull who had much more situations and The Blues scored 3 goals with just 3 shots on target. On the beginning of the season, they drew 2:2 at Emirates against Arsenal. They were leading 2:1, but in +90 Danny Welbeck equalized. Steve Bruce said that Nikica Jelavić is back in full trainings and should be available for the Mondays game. He missed last 5 league games and he’s the best scorer of the team with 8 goals scored.

Arsenal team are really great in recent weeks. Unfortunately for them, last weekend they drew goalless against Chelsea. This score ended their great streak of 8 wins in a row in English Premier League. They also definitely lost chances to win the Premier League with this score. Currently they are on the 3rd place in league, they have 67 points – same as the 3rd Man City, but Arsenal have a worse goal difference. Of course we must say that The Gunners played one game less than the Citizens. Arsenal won last 7 away games in all competitions. In away table they are on the 2nd place with 30 points gained from 17 games, their record is nine wins, three draws and five losses. This is something unusual, but there are no injuries problems at Arsenal currently. Arsene Wenger told us during the pre-match press conference that only M. Debuchy has some minor injury and all other players are in full training. Arsenal won 8 from their last 9 games played in all competitions against Hull, but we must remember that in recent games they had lots of problems against them. Year ago in FA Cup final, Hull City were leading 2:0 and Arsenal won 2:3 in overtime. Also in last league match between them we had a draw (2:2). Both Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud are top scorers in the team with 14 goals in EPL this season.

Probable lineups:

Arsenal: Ospina – Bellerin, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal – Coquelin – Ramsey, Ozil, Cazorla, Sanchez – Giroud.

Hull City: Harper – Chester, McShane, Dawson – Elmohamady, Livermore, Huddlestone, Quinn, Brady – Aluko, N’Doye.

You can watch the match here: Link 1 , Link 2 [Live Scores]

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Cordoba vs Barcelona 0-8 Highlights 02-05-2015 Spanish Primera Division

 

Cordoba vs Barcelona
Competition: Spanish Primera Division
Match date: 2 May 2015

Venue: Estadio Nuevo Arcángel, Córdoba 

Goals:  

FC Barcelona : 42' 0-1 Rakitic // 45' 0-2 Suarez // 46' 0-3 Messi // 53' 0-4 Suarez // 65' 0-5 Pique // 80' 0-6 Messi // 85' 0-7 Neymar// 88' 0-8 Suarez L.

Player Suarez, scores a hat trick, with Lionel Messi and Neymar also coming to the party as FC Barcelona score eight against Cordoba after scoring nothing for the first forty odd minutes. Cordoba vs Barça match ended with 0-8 scoreline in La Liga 2015.

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Barcelona vs Getafe Spanish Primera Division 28-04-2015

FC Barcelona vs Getafe - Competition: Spanish Primera Division

In the last round of Spanish Primera Division, FC Barcelona took on local rivals from Espanyol in the Catalan derby. Once again, the Spanish leaders showed no hesitation as they won the game 2-0 via goals from Messi and Neymar. Barcelona’s tiki-taka machine looks to be up and running in fine form as the team is undefeated in their 14 matches with 13 wins. The possibility of winning the Treble is still very much alive, but the constant action does not seem to have a negative impact on their performances in the domestic league where they average nearly 3 goals per match and have obtained 19 clean sheets, which is more than any of their competitors. They look especially intimidating home at Camp Nou, where they have won 10 of their last 11 fixtures in La Liga, and they are leading the attacking home statistics. The match against Getafe must be used to maintain their slim edge on Real in the standings, as a defeat on Tuesday could see them giving up the number 1 spot. However, we don’t see that happening when you have an offense with Messi, Neymar and Suarez. That deadly trio has scored 66 of Barcelona’s 91 La Liga goals, and especially Neymar is hot right now with 5 goals in his last 5 matches. He does not come close to Lionel Messi in this season though. Including both goals and assists, the Argentinian magician is responsible for 52 of FC Barcelona La Liga BBVA goals.

Getafe team are currently 13^th in the Spanish Primera Division standings. With an 8 point gap to the relegation zone and only 5 rounds remaining, the team looks like a definite La Liga team again next season, and therefore, the club is not pressured to get a good result at Camp Nou. And that is probably for the best, when you look at the team’s most recent results. Getafe have not won in their last 3 La Liga-matches and the 2 most recent matches were both lost. The team’s away form, however, is reasonably good as they have won 2 out of their last 4 away matches. It should be said, though, that both wins came against teams from the lower end of the table, and against Barcelona it will be another story. In the reverse game of this season, Getafe did manage to keep Barcelona from scoring as they achieved a 0-0 draw in December last year. Actually, Barcelona was not able to win a La Liga game against Getafe in the calendar year of 2014. In addition to the 0-0 result, Getafe also managed to get impressive 2-2 at Camp Nou at the end of last season. However, the Catalan side usually performs well against Getafe, as they are undefeated in 9 of the last 10 fixtures against Getafe. Getafe do not have much more to play for in this season, however, as long as there is a theoretical chance for relegation, a point or three is needed.

Match date: 28 April 2015
Kick Off Time: 19:00 BST
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona 

You can watch the match here: Link 1 , Link 2 [Live Scores]

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Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain Champions League - 21-04-2015

FC Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain
Competition: UEFA Champions League
Match date: 21 April 2015
Kick Off Time: 19:45 BST
Venue: Camp Nou (Barcelona, Spain) 

Barcelona team look poised for the semifinals after smashing the Parc des Princes in the 1st leg. Neymar got the party started when he latched onto a Messi assist, but Luis Suarez stole the show in the French capital with a brace in the second half to take 3 away goals into this match (3:1). That means the Parisians must find a way to do something that no other visiting team has done in 38 competitive trips to the Camp Nou–score 3 goals. Defence has been the Catalans’ downfall in recent seasons, but they have found stability this term and have now allowed in just 10 goals from their last 15 competitive fixtures. Furthermore, no team has conceded fewer times this season in the Spanish top-flight, and over the weekend Barcelona earned yet another clean sheet in a 2:0 win over Valencia. Suarez once again worked his magic when he finished off a brilliant movement from the hosts in just the first minute of the game. The Uruguayan and his South American counterparts, Neymar and Messi assemble arguably the most-feared strike force in the world, and it’ll be interesting to see how PSG balance the need to cover these 3 stars with needing to score 3 goals.
FC Barcelona certainly enter Tuesday with a nice cushion to rely on, but it simply isn’t in their nature to sit back and invite pressure on themselves. They want to control the match, they want to dictate possession, and they want to create scoring chances, and those desires and tactics likely won’t change here as they know the Parisians could extend themselves in an effort to get an early goal.

PSG needed to avoid defeat in the 1st leg against the Catalans, but an early slip-up and an injury to Thiago Silva ultimately derailed their hopes as they fell to a catastrophic home defeat (1:3). Now they must travel to the seemingly-impregnable Camp Nou and somehow strike a balance between scoring 3 goals and limiting Barcelona’s star-studded forwards. That task has been made easier with the returns from suspension of Ibrahimovic and Verratti, while Motta could make an early comeback from injury and be forced back into action. Furthermore, the Parisians did find 3 road goals over the weekend and will have returned some confidence before their trip south. That match ended 3:1 and was their 5th win in their last 6 competitive fixtures.
However, barring a miraculous display from Ibrahimovic here, Paris Saint-Germain could overextend themselves going forward in search of their first, second, or even third goal. The Catalans can hit quickly on the counter-attack and will likely still boss the majority of possession as it isn’t their way to sit back and invite pressure. With captain and world-class defender Thiago Silva doubtful to play with a thigh injury, their chances of shutting down the Catalan attack are slim to none. They have conceded 5 away goals in their last 2 Champions League road games and 11 total goals to Barcelona in their last 5 meetings in Europe.

Probable lineups:
FC Barcelona: ter Stegen – Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba – Rakitic, Busquets, Xavi – Messi, Suarez, Neymar.
Paris Saint-Germain: Sirigu – van der Wiel, Marquinhos, David Luiz, Maxwell – Verratti, Cabaye, Matuidi – Cavani, Ibrahimovic, Pastore.

You can watch the match here: Link 1 , Link 2 [Live Scores]

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