On Monday, FC Barcelona play a massive fixture against Villarreal to open their La Liga season. Unlike their 2011 UEFA Super Cup opponents FC Porto, the LFP didn't feel the need to move a competitive league fixture for a European match that may or may not be a competitive fixture, depending on who you ask. Lucky Porto don't have their next Portuguese Liga game until September 6. Advantage Porto, right?
Barcelona Vs. Porto, 2011 UEFA Super Cup: Preview, Strong Sides Expected In Monaco
Barcelona and Porto contest the Super Cup in Monaco Friday, with both teams expected to play full-strength squads
Not so fast. All indications are that Barcelona will be playing a full-strength squad on Friday evening, or at least as close to full strength as they can muster. Central defenders Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol - the latter of whom showed up at the Champions League draw in plaid cargo shorts - are both out of the match with injuries. Because Barcelona don't feel the need to spend money on backup defenders, defensive midfielder Javier Mascherano and left back Eric Abidal will fill their places.
Porto might not be quite as lethal this year without Radamel Falcao, who was just sold to Atletico Madrid for an eye-popping €40 million, but they appear to have found themselves an adequate replacement. Instead of moving Hulk inside to center forward and finding a new alternative for the right side of their 4-3-3 formation, Brazilian striker Kleber has replaced Falcao. He hasn’t scored yet, but he netted an impressive 15 league goals in the Liga for Maritimo last season and should be an adequate replacement.
The most interesting battles could be in the center of midfield, where Barcelona usually control their opponents. Not only are Porto strong in the middle, they also have fantastic strength in depth and can show a number of different looks to the Blaugranas. Joao Moutinho, Fredy Guarin and Souza started Porto’s last league game and should at least provide an annoyance to Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Barcelona’s strength in depth in midfield allows them to play a high quality team in that area while resting some stars. With Thiago Alcantara and Cesc Fabregas backing up Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta (seriously, how unfair is this), it’s possible that one or both of the first choice players could get a rest. Barcelona would hardly skip a beat.
The match kicks off at 2:45 pm ET, 7:45 pm BST from Monaco, France, and we’ll have extensive coverage. For more on FC Barcelona, check out SB Nation’s Barcelona blog Barca Blaugranes.
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