FC Barcelona and Real Madrid go head to head tonight (21.30) in the Copa del Rey final in Mestalla. Barça are seeking their second trophy of the season, while Madrid will look to end their poor run against the Catalans.
FC Barcelona and Real Madrid will play again on Wednesday, now it's time for the Spanish Cup final. In the final, Guardiola is not planning to change the approach he has faithfully stood by since taking over as manager. He considers the opportunity to play the final against Madrid to be “a gift”.
Up to seven FC Barcelona players have never participated in a Spanish Cup Final. Iniesta, for example, will experience for the first time, this Wednesday, what it is like to play in the Cup Final
FC Barcelona have taken a point from their trip to the Santiago Bernabéu and maintain their eight-point lead on Real Madrid with just 18 left to play for. Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo scored the goals, both from the penalty spot.
Barça came from behind to take three vital points and beat Almeria 3-1 at the Nou Camp tonight with a goal from Thiago and two from Messi, one a penalty, that send them to the Bernabeu next week with an 8 point lead.
Once again, Josep Guardiola tried to curb overconfidence before the home game against Almeria. Football is full of surprises and Sporting Gijon and Schalke 04 are clear examples. It will be a game where we won’t let the 3 points escape.
The leader of the Conservative and Spanish Nationalist People’s Party visited the Catalan Parliament today. There, he supported the Catalan Government’s claim and asked Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero to fulfil his legal obligations towards Catalonia and pay the money his Government owes.
In the last elections, the elimination of the tax was one of the main promises of the Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition, Convergència i Unió (CiU), which controls the Catalan Government. From January 1st 2011, first and second degree relatives will have a 99% bonus on this tax. The decision has been taken in the middle of the debate about public expenditure cuts.
‘Goodbye Barcelona’ will be on show by the end of the year in London. It will be premiered the year of the 75th anniversary of the International Brigades’ creation, the foreigners who came to Spain to defend the Republic against the Fascist uprising.
Unemployment registers in Catalonia increased by 8,658 people in March. One in four jobseekers does not receive any public assistance. In addition, training courses for jobseekers have run out of funding and are waiting for the new budget to be approved by the Catalan Government.
The team chalked up their 13th away win of the league season at Villarreal on Saturday –equalling the the 2008/2009 and 2009/10 seasons and with four games left to play on the road, they are closing on a new record.
FC Barcelona have won away to Villarreal and are now eight points clear at the top of the table. Piqué’s second half goal was the reward for a game in which Barça were by far the better side, and Valdés was outstanding in goal.
Barça manager Pep Guardiola believes that what wins a title is not fitness or tactics, but “the desire to be champions”. FC Barcelona will play against Villareal tomorrow, after Spanish League’s two week break.
On the same day that Catalan hospitals presented their plans to reduce their budget by 10% and cut several services, the Catalan Government’s Spokesperson sent a strong message to Madrid saying that "enough was enough." The Spanish Government answered the calls by the Catalan Executive by saying that if it does not meet the 1.3% deficit objective for 2011, it will run out of cash. Madrid is asking for greater budget cuts. Almost all Catalan political parties, including the People’s Party, back up the Catalan Government, the main exception being the Socialist Party, which supports Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
A study has found that the Catalan language is used less than Spanish in Catalonia. In addition, only 40% of foreigners are able to speak Catalan. In total 95% of Catalan residents understand the language, 77% know how to speak it and 60% can write in it. When it comes to Spanish almost 100% of residents can both read and write in it.