Madrid, Jan 21 (DPA) Barcelona are aiming to celebrate, in Valladolid Saturday, the decision of coach Josep Guardiola to continue at the European and Spanish football champions.
After months of speculation about his future, Guardiola announced Wednesday that he had agreed to extend his contract, which had just six months to run, until June 2011.
An online poll in Catalan sports daily Mundo Deportivo showed that 86 percent of Barca fans are pleased that Guardiola is staying on.
Defender Gerard Pique said: “We are all pleased with the news.”
Pique and company are determined to justify Guardiola’s faith in them by staying top of La Liga.
Barca are five points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, and intend to keep the margin with a victory in Valladolid.
They will make the trip without injured midfielder Sergio Busquets. Guardiola is hoping that Seydou Keita will be back from the African Nations Cup in time now that Mali have been eliminated. If not, defender Rafa Marquez will move into midfield.
Guardiola will have to decide between sluggish veteran Thierry Henry and in-form youngster Pedro in attack, alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lionel Messi.
This is the first week of the season that Barca have not had a midweek match, because of last week’s tight King’s Cup elimination against Sevilla.
Sevilla Wednesday won 3-0 away to Deportivo Coruna in the cup, and appear to be set fair for the semi-finals.
Now Sevilla will have to turn their attention back to la Liga, in which they have lost their last four games and fallen down to sixth. On Saturday they are at home to lowly Almeria.
Also Saturday, Deportivo play hosts to an Athletic Bilbao side still on a high after last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat of Real Madrid.
Real should have few problems in maintaining their perfect home record on Sunday because the visitors to the Estadio Bernabeu are lowly Malaga.
Malaga will be without injury victim Antonio Apono, as well as the suspended Baha and Juanito.
Real, for their part, miss injury victims Pepe, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Gonzalo Higuain and Rafael Van der Vaart, though veteran playmaker Guti is finally fit again.
Sunday’s other games are Espanyol vs Mallorca, Xerez vs Osasuna, Villarreal vs Zaragoza, Tenerife vs Valencia, Sporting Gijon vs Racing Santander and Getafe vs Atletico Madrid.
rounak