Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola says his team’s weekend defeat by Real Sociedad was a timely warning ahead of today’s second leg of their Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid, who they lead 2-0.
Last week they came out on top in a stormy first leg in Madrid that was characterised more by cynical challenges and play-acting than on-pitch excitement.
Billed as a contest between the free-flowing football of Barca and the more direct approach of Real, it turned into a stop-start affair.
Pepe, deployed as a defensive midfielder by coach Jose Mourinho, was controversially dismissed after Barcelona full-back Dani Alves over-reacted to a challenge by the Portuguese international.
Barcelona’s substitute goalkeeper Jose Pinto had earlier been given a red card for his part in a scuffle at half-time and Mourinho himself was sent to the stands after venting his fury at the referee.
It was an ugly encounter, with both coaches playing their part in the unsavoury spectacle.
In the pre-match press conference Guardiola lost his cool, saying that Mourinho had won the battle of words but that he was ready to meet Real on the pitch.
After the match at the Bernabeu, an aggrieved Mourinho suggested that European governing body UEFA favoured Barca and even suggested that it was due to their promotion of the humanitarian charity Unicef.
The game’s saving grace was the performance of Lionel Messi, who scored a double, the second being an excellent run where he slalomed through the heart of the Real defence before slotting past keeper Iker Casillas.
Barca are now in the driving seat to win a league and Champions League double, with an eight-point lead in La Liga after both they and Real surprisingly lost at the weekend.
“This was a lesson for us showing that nothing has been done yet,” said Guardiola after the 2-1 defeat at Sociedad.
“Real Madrid are a very good team and they have nothing to lose so we have to keep our heads. We are going to have some tough moments in the game and we will need the support of our fans.”
Barca went into their match in relaxed mood, with Real having already lost 3-2 at home to a Real Zaragoza side fighting for their top-flight survival.
The Real players, still angered by the first-leg dismissal of Pepe, say they will go to Camp Nou full of belief.
“We feel that we can do it and also in the (domestic) league. Until it is mathematically impossible we are not going to give anything up, although we cannot afford to make mistakes like we did against Zaragoza,” said Kaka.
Real Madrid will be without the suspended Sergio Ramos and Pepe, while German central midfielder Sami Khedira is injured.
Protests rejected
UEFA have rejected both protests lodged by Real Madrid and the complaint made by Barcelona following last Wednesday’s ill-tempered semi-final at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid announced last Thursday evening that they were reporting the Spanish champions to UEFA for “unsportsmanlike behaviour” soon after Barcelona had confirmed that they were reporting Real’s Mourinho for his post-match comments.
UEFA’s disciplinary committee will on Friday examine five charges against Real Madrid – including one relating to Mourinho’s sending-off during the semi-final and another in regard to his post-match comments – and one charge against Barcelona following substitute goalkeeper Jose Pinto’s red card during a half-time melee.
However, UEFA yesterday announced that no new charges will be levelled at either Spanish club.
Semi-finals
Playing today
Barcelona vs R. Madrid - 20.45 (first leg: 2-0)
Tomorrow
Man. United vs Schalke 04 - 20.45 (first leg: 2-0)
Final: Wembley – May 28.
Head-to-head
Champions League head-to-head record ahead of today’s second leg at Camp Nou:
27/04/11, semi-final
R. Madrid vs Barcelona - 0-2
01/05/02, semi-final
R. Madrid vs Barcelona - 1-1
23/04/02, semi-final
Barcelona vs R. Madrid - 0-2
23/11/60, first round
Barcelona vs R. Madrid - 2-1
09/11/60, first round
R. Madrid vs Barcelona - 2-2
27/04/60, semi-final
Barcelona vs R. Madrid - 1-3
21/04/60, semi-final
R. Madrid vs Barcelona - 3-1