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La Liga 13-14.5

Lähetetty:
Kirjoittaja Herkku
Sevilla - Barcelona

Kahdeksasta poisjääneestä pelurista huolimatta, Barcelonalla riittää leveyttä. Miten lie Sevilla juhlinut Uefa-cupin voittoa keskiviikkona?

Vaivaako krapula?

Rijkaard has Paris on his mind

Sevilla: squad of 17 with 4 reserve team players
( Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard has rested eight regulars for the Primera Liga clash with Sevilla on Saturday to keep them fresh for Wednesday's Champions League final against Arsenal.

Brazilian forward Ronaldinho , leading scorer Samuel Eto'o and French winger Ludovic Giuly were left out of the squad.

They were joined by Deco, Carles Puyol , Edmilson, Rafael Marquez and Giovanni van Bronckhorst., noistahan saisi jo jonkunlaisen joukkueen, voisi pelata vaikka vajaalla!)

With the league title decided, even Frank Rijkaard accepts that this Saturday's match is not enormously important. Barcelona inevitably have Paris more on their minds than Seville.

Even Frank Rijkaard, who has always maintained that "the next game is the most important" has changed his tune this week. The Dutchman admits that all he is really wants to do in Seville is "present a good image of ourselves. Inevitably we are thinking more about the final in Paris." That is obviously why his squad does not include several regular first teamers and features four reserve team players.

Rijkaard also considers that it will be a great moment to "offer Sevilla a guard of honour for recently winning the UEFA Cup".

Consented decision

Rijkaard explains that he has missed Samuel Eto'o out of the squad by "mutual agreement. He asked me what I thought about it, and I said I would rather avoid risks and save him for Paris, and he agreed and respected my decision". The Cameroonian will therefore miss out on a valuable opportunity to consolidate his lead in the hunt for the leading goalscorer trophy.

For the same reason, he has missed out Ludovic Giuly, who "was injured in game just before the Champions League final when he played for Monaco. But just because he is staying in Barcelona does not mean he will be starting against Arsenal".

Getting ready for the final

Frank claims to be "99 per cent sure what team I will start with in the final, but there are no special plans going into the game. As ever, we will start getting ready two or three days before using the information we get from our analysts. The most important thing is for the group to work hard, and cope with the increasingly greater tension as the day of the final gets closer".

But despite insisting that the team needs to remain focused, Rijkaard has no objection to the players going to the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday. "They are free to do what they like in their free time" he says. "As long as they use their common sense".

As for Leo Messi, who is still not over his injury, the coach has commented that although he is not counting out the chances of him appearing in the Paris final, that it is looking very unlikely at the moment.

Valdés, Jorquera, Iniesta, Van Bommel, Oleguer, Gabri, Larsson, Ezquerro, Maxi, Rodri, Xavi, Belletti, Montañes, Sylvinho, Ludovic, Martos y Motta