Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta has said that the Catalan club will fight until the end when it comes to the league title this season. Barcelona managed to claw the 10 point advantage that Real Madrid had only a few weeks ago to just one point after their latest victory.
Following the win, Andres Iniesta said that he is extremely delighted to have closed the gap and said that he never doubted Barcelona’s ability to keep in touch with the leaders. After Real Madrid managed to extend their lead at the top of the table to 10 points, it seemed almost impossible for Barcelona to win the title for the fourth consecutive season.
However, they have managed to put together a run of nine victories in the last nine matches, which coupled with the drop in form for Real Madrid has reduced the deficit at the top of the table. Even though Iniesta still maintained that Real Madrid were the leaders at the top of the table, Barcelona were clearly the side with the momentum in the league right now.
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Barcelona have been dealt a major blow ahead of the Champions League group stage match against AC Milan after midfielder Andres Iniesta has been ruled out with a thigh injury. Barcelona could only draw in their home match against AC Milan, and Guardiola would have been counting on having his best players available in order to achieve the win over AC Milan at the San Siro they need. However, the injury to Andres Iniesta means that he will have to reshuffle his pack. Even though the changes may not be so dramatic, given Barca have numerous world class midfielders, it is certainly going to affect his team because of the talent Andres Iniesta possesses.
Many regard him to be the vital link between the defenders and midfielders. Along with Xavi, Iniesta dictates the play for Barca and, even though they are quite effective without him, Barcelona are not the same team without him. Along with Iniesta, Guardiola will also be without the likes of Adriano and Irabhim Affelay.
Guardiola will be extremely keen to do well in the match against AC Milan especially given that it will be against one of his former players Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Guardiola was criticised heavily by Ibrahimovic in his autobiography and the former Barcelona midfielder will be keen to show the striker that he is a better manager than he is given credit for in the book.
The 2-2 draw in the first leg was an extremely thrilling encounter, but Guardiola will be forced to reassess his options following the injury to Iniesta. It may well be that Barcelona decide to play a cagey, more defensive match, hitting Milan on the counter with the pace provided by Lionel Messi and David Villa upfront. A victory for Barcelona will ensure that they finish at the top of the group, as they lead AC Milan by two points already.
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April 20, 2012 1:38 am | 
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