HUESCA (REUTERS) - La Liga leaders Barcelona were held to a goalless draw by basement club Huesca on Saturday (April 13) after coach Ernesto Valverde made sweeping changes to his line-up ahead of Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final decider against Manchester United.
The draw means second-placed Atletico Madrid could close the 12-point gap with Barcelona, who are on 74 points, if they beat Celta Vigo later on Saturday.
With the title practically assured after last weekend's 2-0 win over Atletico, Valverde fielded a radically different side to the team that won 1-0 at Old Trafford in Wednesday's first leg, making 10 changes and giving three players their league debuts.
Top scorer Lionel Messi was left at home for the game after being struck in the face by United defender Chris Smalling while Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets were also rested and Gerard Pique and Luis Suarez were suspended.
Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was the only player who started at Old Trafford to make the starting line-up against Huesca, although Barca were boosted by the return of France forward Ousmane Dembele after a month out injured.
Barca midfielder Arturo Vidal was happy to admit that his side's minds were more focused on getting beyond the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2015 than on the game they were playing on Saturday.
"I think everyone that was playing today was thinking about Tuesday's game, just like the guys who stayed at home. The Champions League is what everyone is dreaming about," said the Chilean.
Midfielder Riqui Puig was one of Barca's debutants and the 19-year-old produced the best moment of an uneventful first half, picking out Dembele with a wonderful pass but the Frenchman dragged his shot wide.
Brazilian forward Malcom struck the post early in the second half and team mate Carles Alena missed the target from the rebound in Barca's best spell after the interval, while substitutes Philippe Coutinho, Jordi Alba and Arthur Melo could not improve the leaders' attacking threat when they came on.
"There were a lot of changes and a few debuts so we're happy in general with the game though we could have been more ambitious in attack," added Barca coach Ernesto Valverde.
"It was a difficult situation with so many new players but I understood it was what we needed to do today."
Huesca desperately needed a win to keep up their slim hopes of avoiding relegation but they struggled to make much of an impact and stay rooted to the bottom of the standings with 25 points from 32 games.
China has set out its grand plan to produce one of the world's strongest soccer teams by 2050. The ambitious goal includes interim targets of becoming one of Asia's best teams in the sport by
Rare Earths Battle Looms as U.S. Aims to Tackle China Threat
But with nine changes to the side that beat Newcastle United in midweek, United's fourth straight Premier League win since Solskjaer replaced sacked Jose Mourinho, it was an unconvincing display
Solskjaer unimpressed as United ease past Reading in Cup
Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku rediscovered his finishing touch in fine fashion, scoring a superb goal in each half to help them to a 3-1 Premier League win at Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
Jun 06, 2010 · Under-10 players at work at the Ajax academy in Amsterdam. Credit Joachim Ladefoged/VII, for The New York Times . The youth academy of the famed dutch soccer club Ajax is grandiosely called De
Wi-Fi Signal Strength: What Is a Good Signal And How Do You Measure It A quick overview of the required Wi-Fi signal strength for different online activities. Wireless signal strength is measured in dBm (decibel milliwatts) and is, somewhat confusingly, expressed only as negative values.
How to Read Cell Phone Signal Strength The Right Way
Arsenal Inflict First Domestic Defeat On Solskjaer To Surge Into Top Four. League football match between Arsenal and Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium in London on March 10, 2019
Arsenal inflict first domestic defeat on Solskjaer to surge
The page response time is very slow (1.68 seconds). The response time should be less than 0.4 seconds. The response time should be less than 0.4 seconds. Slow websites are bad for search engine bots and also result in bad user experience.
Předpověď počasí a webkamera Benecko - zimni-strediska.cz
Ballon d'Or winner Luka Modric has criticised Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for choosing not to attend this month's ceremony where he was given the award. Modric criticises Ronaldo
Already available on the discovery website: The captains return to Dutch Harbor days before the opening of king crab season.As they prepare their boats and their crews to battle the Bering Sea, they must also face each other to settle unfinished business from the past season.
Bedroom Headboards :: Footboards :: Bunkbeds :: Captains Beds
798-wood.com/bedroom-headboards-footboards-beds.php
Fine Wood Furniture offers a wide variety of twin beds, full beds, queen beds, king beds, bunkbeds, captains beds, and loft beds in unfinished real woods such as maple, pine, parawood and oak. Custom finishing of unfinished furniture is available for all showroom pieces.
Geva Mentor: England captain has 'unfinished business' - BBC
Nathan Ake Strikes Late To Sink Nine-Man Tottenham Hotspur Updated: 04 May 2019 19:54 IST Nathan Ake's last-gasp winner condemned Spurs to a 1-0 Premier League defeat at Bournemouth.
Ake strikes late to sink nine-man Tottenham Hotspur
Jose Mourinho…. His name is never far from the lips of British football fans, whether they admire him or loathe him. Of course, that's exactly what the man himself desires, though the reasons for his need to be constantly in the headlines vary depending on who you speak to….
Manchester United need to do what Liverpool FC did to become
Does Lebron lack Mental Toughness? It seems to me that he has physical strength but lacks mental strength. The playoffs are really more of a mental challenge than a physical one, and I think lebron is mentally still a child, until he gets his head under control I don't think he's ever going to win a championship.
The Straits Times - Breaking News, Lifestyle & Multimedia News
Women in football face daily battle, says France coach. France coach Corinne Diacre is hoping to guide Les Bleues to the women's World Cup title next year on home soil AFP.
Women in football face daily battle, says France coach
worldsoccertalk.com/2018/12/17/women-in-football-face-daily-battle-says-france-coach/
Women in football face daily battle, says France coach AFP December 17, 2018 AFP No Comments Hong Kong (AFP) - Trailblazing France coach Corinne Diacre said women in football face a constant struggle for acceptance and are often regarded as "objects" despite rising visibility and media coverage of female players.
Women in football face daily battle, says France coach
0 Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen