FC Barcelona News: 26 October 2018

Luis Suárez: ‘Playing in El Clásico is a special feeling’ | FC Barcelona
Ahead of the eagerly-awaited contest, Luis Suárez spoke about what it means to play in El Clásico, his experience of the fixture, and what he expects from this season’s first league encounter with Real Madrid.

Battle of Brazilians Philippe Coutinho, Marcelo could be key duel of Clasico | ESPN
International teammates, Marcelo and Philippe Coutinho will be on opposite sides -- and perhaps in direct opposition -- in one of the world’s greatest club clashes this weekend. On Sunday in the Camp Nou, Marcelo will be Real Madrid’s left-back, Coutinho Barcelona’s attacking midfielder. The pair are not only from the same country, Brazil, they are also from the same city, Rio de Janeiro. But this is a case of opposite teams, contrasting temperaments.

Arthur gets ready for his first Clásico | FC Barcelona
For Arthur Melo, his first El Clásico — Camp Nou, Sunday at 4.15pm CET — is arriving just at the right moment. That’s because the rookie midfielder has recently turned in a string of outstanding performances, most notably against Sevilla and Inter Milan, that has not gone unnoticed by the home fans. Which means that this weekend the 22-year-old Brazilian will have another shot at wowing the Camp Nou faithful, and on the biggest stage of them all.

No Messi, no Ronaldo: No problem, as the Clasico is ready for a new hero | ESPN
The last time we witnessed a Clasico without both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the world was a different place. Donald Trump was about to host the first season of “Celebrity Apprentice,” which featured Nadia Comaneci, Lennox Lewis and Gene Simmons, Tesla had yet to sell a single car, and Netflix was primarily a business that posted something called DVDs via something called “snail mail.”

We color football: a reversible mosaic for El Clásico | FC Barcelona
This Sunday, some 26 years after the first mosaic was ever displayed for an El Clásico, the time-honored tradition will have a new twist — it will be reversible. Moments before kickoff of the first clash of the season between arch rivals FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, around 90,000 oversized cards will create an image in which the words “WE COLOR FOOTBALL” will stand out in giant, yellow capital letters.

Which El Clásico player are we talking about? | FC Barcelona
Get warmed up for El Clásico with this new game! We’ll give you seven clues, each of which may describe multiple players, but only one can satisfy them all! So, come play and try to take a stab!

Ter Stegen: There were times when I thought about leaving Barcelona | Marca
It has not always been easy for Marc-Andre ter Stegen at Barcelona and, although he has now established himself as a regular and key player, there were times when he considered leaving the Camp Nou. The German battled with Claudio Bravo for a place in the team initially, but now there is no debate about who the Catalans’ first choice goalkeeper is.

Barcelona’s other star names can step up in Messi’s absence & hurt Real Madrid, says Montoya | Goal
Barcelona will be without Lionel Messi for El Clasico for the first time since 2007, but La Masia graduate Martin Montoya still fancies his boyhood club to win against a “down” Real Madrid side. Messi fractured his arm in the recent 4-2 win over Sevilla and is still two weeks away from a return. However, the Catalans face their rivals amid crisis in Madrid, with Julen Lopetegui fighting to save his job as manager of Los Blancos.

El Clasico: Lopetegui’s nightmare year could be complete as Real Madrid axe looms | Goal
Some say he’s a dead man walking already, but if Julen Lopetegui can steer Real Madrid to victory at Camp Nou in Sunday’s Clasico, the Spanish coach maybe – just maybe – could keep his job. A dire start to the season, including an abysmal eight-hour goal drought, has seen Lopetegui backed into a corner and he must fight his way out on the biggest stage of all, club football’s greatest game.

Mediapro offered 300 million euros for Camp Nou naming rights | FC Barcelona
Mediapro offered Barcelona 300 million euros for the Camp Nou’s naming rights. Jaume Roures, the founder of the company, confirmed as much in an interview with COPE. According to Roures, the reason the club didn’t reach an agreement with the company was because of Barça’s demands for the company to drop an espionage complaint against former president Sandro Rosell.

Source: barcablaugranes.com