(Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)
Barcelona v Real Zaragoza
Sunday 25 October 2009, Camp Nou
Spanish La Liga Primera Football
Kick-Off: 21:00 CET
Barcelona
Barcelona will be looking to rebound from a shocking 2-1 home loss to Rubin Kazan in the Champions League in Sunday night's Barcelona v Real Zaragoza match.
The defending champions controlled the game, as they so commonly do, but for all their possession, Barca couldn’t break down a strong Russian defence on more than one occasion.
Normally, once is enough for Barcelona. However, efficient finishing and a strong game plan from Kazan proved enough to cause headaches for Pep Guardiola and his men, and send the Barcelona fans home with a feeling they had not known this season - a feeling of defeat.
Barcelona’s form appears on the decline, and with Dani Alves set to miss three weeks through an injury suffered against Kazan, some effort may have to be exerted in order to right the ship in this Barcelona vs Real Zaragoza fixture before a run of bad results could potentially open the door for other clubs to catch up.
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza have started the 2009/10 season with mixed results, but from a realistic point of view, the club must be relatively pleased with the way they have performed.
Surprisingly enough, Roberto Ayala has been the driving force offensively for the club in the early stages of the La Liga Primera campaign.
The Argentine centre back has already tallied four goals for Zaragoza and has been leading by example as he has done throughout his illustrious career. Ayala will have to be something of a defensive - and possibly offensive - rock if his side are to have any hope of taking anything from this Barcelona vs Real Zaragoza clash.
Ander Herrera, who recently represented Spain at the Under-20 World Cup, is a real talent in midfield and could be an instrumental player in the growth of Real Zaragoza.
The mixture of experienced leaders, such as Ayala, and youthful talents, such as Herrera, give Zaragoza the combination they will need as they attempt to regain the respectable status they held before they were relegated to the Segunda Division two years ago.
Prediction
Barcelona won both matches against Zaragoza during the 2007/08 season, when Zaragoza were last in the league.
The Barcelona v Zaragoza meeting at the Nou Camp finished 4-1, whilst the reverse fixture at Zaragoza also saw Barca win, this time with a 2-1 scoreline.
While Real Zaragoza’s club has drastically changed since then, Barcelona’s dominance has remained a constant.
Disappointing results aside, Los Blaugranas should post a comfortable victory in this upcoming Barcelona - Zaragoza clash.
Barcelona vs Real Zaragoza Prediction: Barca 2 - Zaragoza 0
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