By DAN KARELL
With Lionel Messi on the bench, Barcelona will hope for another savior to help them come back from four goals down when they host Bayern Munich today in the Champions League semifinals (2:45pm FX Channel).
Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova has called for his side to play good soccer, and through that, he’s confident that they will find a way to score goals. But it’s not going to be easy to come back from a four-goal deficit against a talented and fit team, even at the Camp Nou. Javier Mascherano and Sergio Busquets have both been ruled out with injury, meaning that the frailties of the Spanish side’s defense could be on full display again.
Jupp Heynckes’ squad won their tenth match in a row last Saturday, despite putting out a team with ten different starters from last Tuesday’s win over Barcelona. Arjen Robben and Thomas Müller were fully rested while Frank Ribery and Javi Martinez featured in the second half, meaning that the vaunted Bayern midfield should be at full strength when kickoff comes. Mario Mandzukic is available again, and though Dante is suffering from a slight illness, he’s expected to be ready to go.
If you will be watching today’s action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action.