Barcelona have been handed a major boost just ahead of the match with Bayern Leverkusen in the last 16 of the Champions League. Barcelona were initially expected to be without defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets for the match.
The Spanish midfielder has missed the last two matches for Barcelona. Unfortunately, it has been in these last two matches in which Barcelona seem to have lost their opportunity to win the league on the fourth consecutive occasion. As a result of the 3-2 loss at the hands of Osasuna during the weekend, Real Madrid have built up a 10 point advantage in the league. Hence, Barcelona will be shifting their focus towards the European competition.
The presence of Sergio Busquets is a major boost for Barcelona and the manager Guardiola given that he not only provides the option of safety, but also the ability to play from the back. It is extremely crucial to the way Barcelona play. It is an option that cannot be provided by the likes of Mascherano. Hence, the return of Sergio Busquets to full training has been viewed with a lot of joy amongst other Barcelona at camp. Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack will not be part of the Bayern Leverkusen team due to an injury.
Barcelona manager Guardiola rested Xavi and Iniesta in the 3-2 defeat at the hands of Osasuna during the weekend. They are expected to be back for the match. Barcelona will be looking for an away goal in the match in order to secure an early advantage against Bayern Leverkusen. Even though Bayern Leverkusen did well to get a draw against Chelsea in the group stages this season, facing Barcelona will be a totally different proposition. Some of the high profile players who will be unavailable for this match include Ibrahim Afellay and Andreu Fontas.
Sergio Busquets has returned to full training for Barcelona ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Bayer Leverkusen. The midfield enforcer has trained well and has been named in the squad for the encounter and is being considered for an instant return to the starting line up.
Busquets has missed the Catalan giants’ last two games through a knee injury but has seemingly made a substantial enough recovery to convince Pep Guardiola to at the very least consider him for the last 16 clash with the Germans.
Barca have been in something of an injury crisis in recent weeks with Andreu Fontas, Ibrahim Affellay and David Villa all ruled out long term and Andres Iniesta having recently picked up another leg injury. As a result of this recent string of bad luck for the Catalans they have been forced to include five players from their ‘B’ Squad for the Champions League clash.
The return of Busquets to the side will be a welcome boost to Guardiola and given the difficulties they have had it is understandable they are keen to see players return as quickly as possible.
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Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez has praised his fellow teammate Sergio Busquets by saying that he is one of the best midfielders in the game. Sergio Busquets is a relatively new comer to the first-team setup at Barcelona, but he has become one of the main players in the last few years. He has been excellent in such a way that Mascherano, who was signed in the first place as a defensive midfielder, is finding himself shunted into the defensive positions. Such as the quality of Sergio Busquets that he has also been influential for the Spanish national team.
In many ways, he has been the unsung heroes for both Barcelona and Spain in recent seasons. Now, praises finally arriving in the form of his fellow teammate Xavi Hernandez. Xavi Hernandez is coming to the end of his career, but is still putting impressive performances, which have obviously led to him being nominated for the Ballon d’Or award. However, Xavi Hernandez believes that media should give more credit to Sergio Busquets. The defensive midfielder – according to Xavi Hernandez– is crucial to the way Barcelona play because he not only intercepts the attack of the opponent, but also coordinates the attack of Barcelona as well.
“Without Busquets we could never had achieved what we have achieved. He is an extraordinary player who is never wrong. The key was the possession of the ball. The coach worked out the tactics wonderfully; we just had put it into practice. We had the possession and the philosophy of Barcelona was clearly presented: football players raised in the club who play great football,” Xavi told the media. Barcelona’s way of playing is something that many clubs have tried to replicate, but without a player like Sergio Busquets, they have been unable to do so.
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