Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Live - Barcelona v Inter Milan

GOALFLASHES AND MAJOR INCIDENTS (all times BST)

To get involved use 606, Twitter or text us your views & comments on 81111 (UK) or +44 7786200666 (worldwide). (Not all contributions can be used. Messages will be charged at your standard operator rate)

By Jonathan Stevenson

1949: Xavi pings a pass over to Pedro down the Barca left and he cuts inside past Maicon with ease before lashing a right-foot shot past the far post. A sighter.

1947: Inter's Julio Cesar takes an age over a goalkick and the Barca fans are furious already. They've set the tone, you might say.

1947: Barca have Gerard Pique and Yaya Toure at centre-back, with Daniel Alves at right-back and Gabby Milito at left-back. Inter have defender Christian Chivu playing wide right up front, where Goran Pandev would have been. Early stages, though.

1945: Referee Frank De Bleeckere from Belgium gets us under way bang on time. Here we go...

1943: So Goran Pandev will play no part in proceedings tonight, with 21-year-old Austrian Marko Arnautovic on the bench. It's just brilliant already, isn't it?

1941: The teams are out at the Camp Nou to a deafening crescendo of noise from the 98,000-odd present.

1940: It is Goran Pandev who misses out. The conspiracy theorists, not for the first time with Jose Mourinho, are going to be out in force this evening.

1939: This is incredible. There are reports that defender Christian Chivu is going to start for Inter Milan instead of striker Goran Pandev. Will let you know when we're 100% sure.

Inter president Massimo Moratti: "Being a strong man, Jose Mourinho is attacked in every way and, on Wednesday, this will be part of a tactic that our opponents will use to scare us. But Mourinho is very professional when there are games like these and he will prepare well. It is an important occasion."

Barcelona president Joan Laporta: "We are not obsessive, and any second-rate psychologist can say whatever they want. It is a sporting challenge and whoever tries to talk about other issues is mistaken. I suppose it is done to provoke."

1934: Let's hear from the presidents, too.

From wonderboi711 on Twitter: "Am I the only one who remembers the delightful football under Mourinho with Duff and Robben on each wing?"

1930: This is a public service broadcasting announcement: View your snaps on our BBC Sport World Cup Photo Album now! If you haven't pinged us a pic of yourself with a World Cup star of 2010 yet - we want your mug shots to fill those gaps! Email yourself with players and head coaches to worldcupphotoalbum@bbc.co.uk, or send them to us via Flickr (where there are some examples of what we mean, should you be at all confused) but check the BBC terms and conditions first. Great stuff.

From Sean, Aberdeen, via text to 81111: "That's quite a predo, Stevo. I'm going to go one better though, Inter to beat Barca tonight, a couple of goals on the counter attack. Messi will be closed out of the game again."

BBC Radio 5 live
BBC Radio 5 live's Chris Waddle: "I've never been a big admirer of Mourinho's style of play and even though Inter won last week at the San Siro, Barcelona had lots of chances. He's a good organiser and gets players to give all for the shirt. He's a manager whose teams are well-drilled, well-organised and hard to beat. As we saw time after time at Chelsea - when he often bought a defender on for a striker when his team were winning - all he's concerned about is results."

From Football_UK on 606: "This obsession of BBC about Mourinho is second only to its obsession about Beckham. Don't they ever get bored?"
Nope - not sure we ever will. Have you heard the things he says?

1920: Jose Mourinho has been strolling around the Camp Nou pitch as his players go through their warm-up excercises, soaking up the atmosphere - which pretty much turned to boos as soon as he showed his face.

Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho: "The only thing I told my players was that I wanted them to support the work of the referee and if the Barcelona players want to do the same, it will be easy for the referee. There are 90 minutes still to be played and history is full of comebacks, it is easy to score three quick goals especially for a side like Barca."

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola: "I have never felt an atmosphere like this before either as coach or player, with people coming up to us and wishing us well. When the players retire they will look back at this moment and the way people stopped them in the street. We are very demanding of ourselves and honour is the most important thing that you can have in a profession whether you are a film director, a writer, whatever."

1915: Anyone want more chat from the managers?

From henrywinter on Twitter: "Banned Puyol walking past... never realised how short he is even with that Brian May hair. And they said Gary Neville was too short to be a c-b."

From Adam, Cardiff, via text to 81111: "Re: 1851 - Um, isn't every football fan/player/manager obsessed with getting to the Champions League final?"

1907: BARCA v INTER TEAM NEWS
Barcelona
boss Josep Guardiola makes two changes to his side from the first-leg, with Yaya Toure and Gabriel Milito drafted in at the expense of Maxwell and suspended home captain Carles Puyol. Gabriel's selection on the opposing side to Diego Milito means brothers play in the same Champions League match for the first time. Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho goes with the same XI that emerged from the opening leg a week ago 3-1 victors.

1905: Barcelona v Inter Milan line-ups:
Barcelona:
Valdes, Dani Alves, Pique, Milito, Keita, Xavi, Toure Yaya, Busquets, Pedro, Ibrahimovic, Messi.
Subs: Pinto, Marquez, Bojan, Henry, Maxwell, Thiago, Jeffren.
Inter Milan: Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio, Samuel, Zanetti, Cambiasso, Motta, Eto'o, Sneijder, Pandev, Milito.
Subs: Toldo, Cordoba, Muntari, Mariga, Materazzi, Chivu, Balotelli.
Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)

1902: Hope you brought your A-game: texts go to 81111 (UK) and +44 7786200666 (worldwide); you can whack me a missive on Twitter @Stevo_football; and the chat is well and truly under way on 606 too. Gatecrash away.

1900: Stevo's Predo (hardest one ever, easily):
Barcelona 2-1 Inter Milan

1856: It simply could not be set up any better. The most flamboyantly attacking team of a generation needing to beat a side coached by perhaps the most tactically astute manager of his era. It is a night the footballing Gods have gifted to us, the sport's loyal worshippers.

1852: By the way, Inter are unchanged from the first leg, while Barca bring Gabriel Milito and Yaya Toure in for the banned Carles Puyol and Maxwell.

1851: A final that, as Inter coach Jose Mourinho is only too keen to point out, takes place at the Bernabeu - home of Barca's arch rivals Real Madrid. Mourinho, using his biggest possible stirrer, says it has become an "obsession" for Barcelona to reach the final. "It's not a dream for Barcelona, it's anti-Madridism. I am not criticising, I'm just saying the truth," said the Portuguese.

1848: Not my words, but those of Barcelona's Sergio Busquets. His coach, Josep Guardiola, disagrees: "Magic it's not - it's a game of football." In the Camp Nou tonight, the team they have been cueing up to dub "one of the greatest of all time" must overturn a two-goal deficit against Inter Milan to reach the Champions League final.

1845: The moment of truth has arrived. It should be a magical night.

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