Villarreal vs Barcelona: La Liga Gamethread

We were told by our colleagues at Barca Blaugranes this week that the motivation of their side would probably be much lower if Real Madrid won today, idea being that the title race would seem all but over. Madrid came in, Sergio Ramos did Sergio Ramos things (at both ends of the pitch) controversy ensued and the league leaders got a 1-0 win.

If you’re waiting for me to feel bad about Athletic Club losing on a penalty after the whole Gil Manzano/Pau Torres incident earlier this year, don’t hold your breath.

European situation:

Sevilla is three points ahead of us for fourth and plays tomorrow. If we win and they lose, we’ll be tied and we hold the tiebreaker on head to head points.

We are 1 point ahead of Getafe, with a game in hand as of when our match starts.

We are four points ahead of Real Sociedad, who play tomorrow.

We are six points ahead of Athletic Club.

If we win and everyone else loses European football will be very very close to being wrapped up for next season.

Lineups:

Predictable, though I still find the fullbacks, particularly Alberto on the left, pretty troubling. That said, I feel pretty confident we can get a result today if we come out focused the way we have the last few matches.

The shape of Messi’s head in the PES Football image is something I still am not used to. I really do think this is a midfield we can take advantage of if we are smart.