Andrés Iniesta goes through more tests, set to miss at least one month with injury

After sustaining an injury in the UEFA Champions League game on Tuesday, Barcelona midfielder and captain Andrés Iniesta went through more detailed tests one day later to find out the exact problem, as well as the deadline. And it is worrisome.

The Spanish international and Blaugrana legend has a full tear in his right hamstring, worse than the initial diagnosis of a muscle sprain, which now extends the expected timetable for his return. Instead of missing two to three weeks, Iniesta will be out for at least four, which is the minimum deadline to recover from this type of muscular damage.

Because of his age, Andrés deserves a lot more attention and the safest route is usually taken when he is injured. That means that we are probably not going to see the player on the pitch for Barça in the month of October. Iniesta joins Rafinha Alcântara as two key midfielders out with injury, and considering the other problems all over the squad, Barça has a very, very thin squad to work with in the next 30 days. However, there is a two-week international break coming, which limits the amount of games this small group will appear on, and that's the bright side of this whole story.

Please come back ASAP, Andrés. We need you more than ever.

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La Liga, Sevilla vs Barcelona: Pick the Lineup

After the amazing comeback just a couple of days ago, life moves on for Barcelona, and following a very tough game last Tuesday, the Blaugrana face yet another difficult opponent on Saturday in the form of Sevilla, at the historically tough Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán. And it seems like the bad news just keep on coming.

The long-term absentees, Lionel Messi and Rafinha Alcântra, are now joined by Andrés Iniesta, who is set to miss at least four weeks after further tests on the hamstring injury he suffered against Bayer Leverkusen showed that the problem is actually a little more serious than initially expected. IF Claudio Bravo, Thomas Vermaelen and Adriano Correia don't recover in time, there is a very good chance that Luis Enrique takes only 14 (FOURTEEN!!!) outfield players to Seville, which calls for some help from Barça B.

So we turn to our community to find out which B-teamers you will select to form the 18-man squad for the weekend, as well as the starting lineup. You can do it by filling out the attached form below and picking the starting eleven and the reserves; you can also keep up with the results of this poll by clicking here, and use the comment section to share your selections.

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Sergi Samper joins first team training, could be in squad for Barcelona's next match

The injury that will keep Andrés Iniesta out for a few weeks forces Luis Enrique to search for options at Barça B, and he has finally called up a guy we all want.

Sergi Samper, the B-team star and highly rated Blaugrana prospect, joined the first team players on Wednesday for the first training session after the 2-1 Champions League victory over Bayer Leverkusen, along with youth squad teammates Gerard Gumbau, Juan Cámara and David Babunski. All four are midfielders, and two of them are likely to be selected for the weekend La Liga match against Sevilla on Saturday.

Gumbau has been the preferred choice after Rafinha Alcântara went down with a severe knee injury, with Samper staying as a key component of the Barça B group playing the Spainsh third division. However, with iniesta's absence, one more spot opens up at midfield, and Samper is in contention to be on the squad for a tough clash on the road.

Samper traveled with the squad for the United States preseason tour, but got very few (yet productive) minutes and didn't get a promotion to The Show, as initially expected. But if given an opportunity to be with the big boys until Iniesta returns, he could prove to his coach why he's one of the best young midfielders La Masía has created in recent years.

But Lucho will probably call Cámara or Babunski. He must confuse Samper with one of them.

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FC Barcelona News: 30 September 2015; Barcelona Earn Comeback Win, Lose Andres Iniesta to Hamstring Injury

Late show from Barça wins it at Camp Nou (2-1) | FC Barcelona
Barça stormed back in the second half against Bayer Leverkusen to record their first win of this season's Champions League thanks to goals from Sergi Roberto and Luis Suárez in the last 10 minutes of the contest. The Germans had taken the lead after 22 minutes through defender Papadopoulos and had proved a match for Luis Enrique's side in the opening half.

Barcelona resilient in Champions League comeback vs Bayer - ESPN FC
This was Barcelona's first game since Lionel Messi was ruled out for about two months with a knee injury, and for a long time it seemed set to show just how much the Blaugrana talisman is going to be missed. But late goals from substitute Sergi Roberto and centre-forward Luis Suarez turned around a game in which Barca had been second-best for much of the proceedings.

Luis Enrique: We kept the faith | FC Barcelona
Following his team’s late comeback victory over Bayer Leverkusen at Camp Nou, FC Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique spoke to the press to talk about the effort, the result, and even the fans who patiently waited an hour and twenty minutes but, in the end, were handsomely rewarded.

Luis Suárez says team were believers | FC Barcelona
Luis Suarez knows about keeping the faith. After Barça’s late victory over Bayer Leverkusen the striker said he knew all along, that the team knew, deep down inside that they would pull it out. And they were right. "We believed in ourselves until the end because we are the European champions. We had to prove it, and we had plenty of chances but couldn’t until the end," he said after the game.

Iniesta ‘out for four to six weeks’ | Football Espana
The club offered no information on how long the captain was likely to miss but AS cites a report from El Laguero that puts Iniesta’s absence at between four and six weeks. Iniesta joins Thomas Vermaelen, Adriano, Rafinha and Lionel Messi as unavailable to Coach Luis Enrique, Rafinha out for the season and Messi expected to miss the next two months.

Sid Lowe's Notes from Spain: is Lionel Messi irreplaceable? | WorldSoccer
The silence was deafening. Leo Messi was down in the penalty area and immediately the Camp Nou fell quiet. A long ball from Sergi Roberto had reached him and, with a single superb touch, he had controlled and dashed past the defender to the top of the six yard box. There, he prepared to shoot. As he did so, Pedro Bigas came across to block. The impact twisted Messi’s knee and he went to ground.

Leo Messi thanks fans for their support | FC Barcelona
Leo Messi has used social networks to communicate with his fans after suffering a serious injury against Las Palmas that is going to leave him side-lined for about two months. He posted a message on his Facebook account to say "thank you all for your supportive messages. For anyone who loves football, the hardest thing is not to be on the pitch. Now it’s time to recover properly to come back. A big hug."

Barca youth stars navigate injury curse - ESPN FC
With so many of his veterans injured and Andres Iniesta joining the walking wounded mid-match, the Leverkusen game was the ideal moment for younger fringe players to step up and prove their worth. In doing so, Munir El Haddadi, Sergi Roberto and Sandro Ramirez will have given their coach some hope that the coming weeks can be navigated without total collapse.

'Messi & Friends' corruption probe moved to Barcelona court - ESPN FC
A Spanish judge has ruled that an ongoing investigation into potential fraud in 'Messi & Friends' exhibition matches, played in summer 2012 and 2013, should be undertaken by prosecutors in Barcelona. Spanish Guardia Civil investigators have been looking into whether these exhibition games, in which Barcelona star Lionel Messi's charitable foundation had a role, were used by Colombian drug traders to launder money.

Neymar Porsche stuck in Brazil court battle says report - ESPN FC
A Porsche Panamera that Neymar won in a bet with his dad in 2011 was seized by the Brazilian Internal Revenue Service in 2014 because of alleged irregularities regarding its import into the country by a third-party company and is to remain in the domain of the government until the case is resolved in court, according to a report published in Tuesday's Folha do S. Paulo.

Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano charged with tax fraud | Sky Sports
Barcelona player Mascherano is alleged to have sought to conceal earnings from his image rights by using companies set up in the United States and Portugal, the prosecutor's office said. The 31-year-old is accused of defrauding the authorities of 587,822.01 euros in 2011 and 968,907.76 euros in 2012, they added.

FC Barcelona v Bayer Leverkusen: First European win slips away (1-1) | FC Barcelona
Barça tried to catch them down the wings, with Carles Pérez soon becoming the most incisive player with a number of penetrating runs to set up a series of chances. Carbonell enjoyed several of those, Álex Blanco had one too, and there was another for Pérez himself. In the meantime, Bayer only got through on goal once, but Dzalto’s strike was no major problem for Andreu. And so the first half came to a close, with the Catalans unfortunate not to have taken the lead.

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La Liga News: 30 September 2015; Valencia Win in Lyon, Malaga Lose Nordin Amrabat for Two Months

Feghouli thunderbolt earns Valencia win at Lyon - UEFA.com
Lyon had started well, yet Valencia gradually took control and posed their own set-piece threat from corners, Aymen Abdennour heading against the upright after earlier nodding wide. Feghouli then took over the mantle, grazing the bar with a vicious effort before connecting with it a second, decisive time – his shot from distance bouncing in off the bar after he had received a Pablo Piatti pass in too much space.

Former Real Madrid and Spain midfielder Ignacio Zoco passes away | Sky Sports
Former Real Madrid midfielder Ignacio Zoco, a key part of the team that dominated La Liga in the 1960s and the Spain side that won the 1964 European Championship, has died at the age of 76.

Diego Simeone confident Jackson Martinez will find goals - ESPN FC
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has backed misfiring summer signing Jackson Martinez to soon be among the goals. Jackson joined Atletico for €35 million from Porto last season, but has scored just one goal so far this season, his worst start to a season since he came to Europe in 2011, according to Marca.

Sevilla back in Turin for Juventus challenge - UEFA.com
I am sorry Lichtsteiner is not available but the doctors wanted to do further tests as a precaution. Tomorrow we'll play with Andrea Barzagli – maybe in a three or a four-man defence – but it doesn't change much. We've got to play with great determination. This is almost decisive for qualification from the group – it would build on our win in Manchester.

Juve name 19-man squad for Sevilla - Juventus.com
Massimiliano Allegri has announced a 19-man squad for Wednesday night’s Champions League Group D encounter with Sevilla at Juventus Stadium.

Amrabat facing two months out | Football Espana
Malaga will be without forward Nordin Amrabat for two months after it was confirmed he tore his meniscus in his right knee against Real Madrid. AS notes Amrabat was hurt in a collision with Nacho during the goalless draw, and was dismissed with 13 minutes to go for raising a hand to Marcelo. But tests have confirmed that the 28-year-old will miss the next eight weeks, following surgery to repair the damage.

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La Liga: FC Barcelona 2-1 UD Las Palmas: Player Ratings

A detailed, player-by-player breakdown as Barcelona returned to winning ways against Las Palmas.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen

7.0

Minutes played: 90 Touches: 42 Passes: 27 Pass Accuracy: 89% Shots Faced: 6 Saves Made: 5 Clearances: 0 Bostjan says: 7.0 Much better from ter Stegen, but the clean sheet still eludes the young German. There were still instances in which he didn’t look very sure-handed, like in the 49th minute when he had to make a double-catch to secure a high cross, but he did secure it at least. Ter Stegen made five saves against Las Palmas, but the visitors’ sixth shot beat him, with some help by Pique who redirected the shot, leaving the German stranded.

Sergi Roberto

8.7

Minutes played: 90 Touches: 94 Passes: 72 Pass Accuracy: 85% Key Passes: 1 Turnovers: 0 Tackles: 5 Successful Dribbles: 5 Clearances: 0 Aerial Duels Won: 2 Interceptions: 2 Bostjan says: 8.5 Returning to the right side of the defense, the young Spaniard really impressed. He combined excellently with whoever was closest to him at the time, usually Munir and Rakitić, and constantly caused danger in the Las Palmas area with good passes – one of which became the assist on the opening Suarez goal. There were some missed passes also, but all in all it was a very good attacking showing by Roberto. Defensively he was also very good, making several defensive plays.

Gerard Pique

6.9

Minutes played: 90 Touches: 97 Passes: 80 Pass Accuracy: 91% Tackles: 2 Interceptions: 2 Clearances: 5 Aerial Duels Won: 3 Bostjan says: 7.0 Much better from Pique who had a horror show against Celta just days ago, though he was again involved in a goal, this time deflecting a shot that would’ve otherwise probably ended in the safe hands of ter Stegen. He allowed a little bit too much space to Jonathan Viera and that was enough for the forward to put the ball into the back of the net.

Marc Bartra

7.4

Minutes played: 90 Touches: 104 Passes: 89 Pass Accuracy: 92% Tackles: 6 Interceptions: 1 Clearances: 4 Aerial Duels Won: 3 Key Passes: 1 Bostjan says: 7.5 Bartra’s return to form seems to be continuing right on track, as the young center-back put in another good performance. His tests were few and far between, but Bartra was able to maintain his concentration throughout. Bartra made the joint most tackles of any player on the pitch and the second most clearances.

Adriano Correia

5.9

Minutes played: 90 Touches: 63 Passes: 51 Pass Accuracy: 92% Shots/Shots on Target: 0/0 Tackles: 4 Interceptions: 3 Clearances: 0 Key Passes: 0 Turnovers: 2 Bostjan says: 6.5 Adriano had a quiet game on the left side of the defense, not making many noteworthy plays, either on offense or on defense, but he was a definite improvement over Jeremy Mathieu. Overall this was a very "Adriano" performance – not much wrong with it, but not a whole lot to get excited about either.

Sergio Busquets

7.3

Minutes played: 90 Touches: 56 Passes: 48 Pass Accuracy: 85% Shots/Shots on Target: 1/0 Tackles: 3 Interceptions: 1 Clearances: 0 Turnovers: 1 Aerial Duels Won: 0 Key Passes: 0 Fouls Won: 6 Sam says: 7.0 With Mascherano in midfield, Busquets was pushed forward and asked to be more of an attacking threat than usual. He performed this job well, looking to get the ball to one of the front three whenever possible, although these passes didn’t always come off and as a result his pass success rate suffered. The midfielder also played a role in Barça’s second goal. Knowing Suárez was behind him, he produced a great dummy that allowed the ball to reach the Uruguayan. He also contributed a fair amount of defensive work with four tackles and two interceptions.

Javier Mascherano

6.3

Minutes played: 90 Touches: 99 Passes: 85 Pass Accuracy: 95% Shots/Shots on Target: 1/1 Turnovers: 1 Key Passes: 2 Fouls Won: 3 Tackles: 6 Sam says: 7.0 Playing in the defensive midfielder spot, Mascherano put in a very good defensive display. He completed the joint highest tackles and interceptions of any player on the pitch. However, it was his error that gave Las Palmas their goal. He lost possession close to his own box and Jonathan Viera duly finished. Aside from that, it was a good display highlighted by his accurate passing and patrolling of the back four.

Ivan Rakitić

7.6

Minutes played: 61 Touches: 90 Passes: 75 Pass Accuracy: 81% Shots/Shots on Target: 2/0 Fouls Won: 3 Turnovers: 2 Successful Dribbles: 0 Key Passes: 2 Tackles: 2 Sam says: 7.5 A better performance from Rakitić as he provided the main attacking threat from midfield. Unlike his recent games, Rakitić had more of an influence in the game by looking to create chances and having a good link up play with Suárez and Neymar. His through balls twice unlocked the Las Palmas defence and although these chances weren’t converted it was promising signs the Croatian was getting back to his best form.

Lionel Messi

7.6

Minutes played: 9 Touches: 7 Passes: 5 Pass Accuracy: 80% Shots/Shots on Target: 1/0 Turnovers: 0 Successful Dribbles: 1 Key Passes: 0 Fouls Won: 0 Tackles: 0 Sonia says: N/A Ugh, as all cules certainly know by now, Messi was pretty badly injured against Las Palmas. He was forced off  too early in the game for a fair judgement of how he played, but hopefully he is back on the pitch before too long and I wish him a fast recovery.

Luis Suarez

8.7

Minutes played: 90 Touches: 39 Passes: 14 Pass Accuracy: 84% Shots/Shots on Target: 5/3 Fouls Won: 0 Successful Dribbles: 0 Key Passes: 4 Turnovers: 5 Clearances: 1 Sonia says: 8.0 Suarez’s performance was very good, especially in comparison to his rather poor start to the season. His two goals were probably the most memorable part of game, and he was involved in the buildup of every single attack, much more than usual in the absence of Messi. Suarez should have had a hattrick against Las Palmas, but at least he scored two. I am looking forward to seeing him step up and have an even larger presence in the game to help the team through Messi’s absence.

Neymar

7.0

Minutes played: 90 Touches: 56 Passes: 29 Pass Accuracy: 90% Shots/Shots on Target: 5/1 Successful Dribbles: 7 Key Passes: 2 Tackles: 1 Turnovers: 3 Sonia says: 8.0 Neymar played very well and really stepped up in Messi’s absence. He continued to show effort throughout the game and made some great passes that showed his quality. Even though he ended up missing a penalty, Neymar can still be counted among the best players on the pitch against Las Palmas. I am looking forward to seeing how else he takes an even larger role in Messi’s presence.

Munir El Haddadi	6.7
Minutes played: 70 Touches: 42 Passes: 32 Pass Accuracy: 69% Key Passes: 2 Bostjan says: 7.0 Munir's name was called when Messi was forced off with the injury and the youngster put in a very solid showing, creating a few chances for his teammates, one of which resulted in an assist.

Sandro Ramirez	6.1
Minutes played: 11 Touches: 6 Passes: 2 Pass Accuracy: 50% Shots/Shots on Target: 2/1 Bostjan says: N/A Not enough time for Sandro to make an impact.

Gerard Gumbau	6.3
Minutes played: 1 Touches: 1 Passes: 1 Pass Accuracy: 100% Interceptions: 0 Bostjan says: N/A Not on the pitch long enough to warrant a full rating.

The Team

7.2

Passes: 636 Pass Accuracy: 88% Shots/Shots on Target: 18/6 Tackles: 29 Aerial Battles Won: 62% Fouls Won/Committed: 23/12 Sonia says: 7.0 Hey, it’s three points, and Barca still won according to the scoreline. But ugh, Messi’s injury is worse than a loss would have been and it sucks that Leo will be out for so long. Otherwise, Bartra was decent enough, and Rakitic and Roberto were pretty good. Sergi Roberto, especially, was at least an improvement on Alves. It was also nice to see the two Suarez's goals, especially considering how Suarez hasn’t been very good this season. Did i mention that Messi’s injury sucked? Neymar stepped up alongside Suarez, though, and the two of them will continue to ensure a dangerous attack even in Messi’s absence. Fortunately, the defence didn’t lose the game for us either; their performance was adequate. Overall, though, it was a thoroughly unimpressive and forgettable game, and Messi’s injury is the only thing really worth remembering.

Luis Enrique	7.1
Bostjan says: 6.5 The rotation policy of the Barcelona coach continued and he was able to rest some of his usual starters and get the win. He made a good choice by turning to Munir when Messi went down, but Lucho will now have to find some new twist and turns to his team as the injury to Messi will expose some weaknesses in the team.

MOTM - Sergi Roberto	41%
Bostjan says: Roberto This was a close one between two player, Suarez and Roberto and in the end the scorer of zero goals won it by a single vote - and it's hard to argue the result as the two were clearly the best two players on the pitch. Consing in in a distant third was Messi with 6%.

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Luis Enrique asks for better fan support, praises Barcelona fighting spirit against Leverkusen

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique was very happy with his team's win over Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, but he wasn't that happy with the fans.

The coach spoke to the press after the Champions League match at Camp Nou, and while he did praise his men for their fighting spirit and will to come back and win a very difficult game, Enrique also highlighted how the fans lacked support for the players during the 80 minute stretch in which the team trailed. For Lucho, the crowds need to help in those moments, not only when the team is winning.

Here's more from Lucho's quotes:

"It has been a difficult evening. It was our second match without [Lionel] Messi and we won. Bayer played at a good level, we had some problems but improved during the second half and I'm happy about what we got.

"This team deserves more credit. I understand the whispers but I think they are undeserved. We didn't need the support of the fans when we were winning 2-1, we needed their support when we were losing 1-0 and we need the support of everybody. I would like the atmosphere to be a bit different.

"Iniesta's injury is a very bad news for us. We turned this game around thanks to faith and confidence rather than football arguments. Bayer defended and put us under pressure in a good way.

"It's going to be a difficult group, we will try to get first place but we have to improve some things. All the players showed a fighting attitude until the end."

Source: UEFA.com

Do you agree with Lucho, Blaugranes? Was the crowd too tough on the team during the difficult minutes on Tuesday? Should they support more?

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Bayer Leverkusen coach praises 'Super Barcelona' for comeback win

Barcelona got such an incredible win on Tuesday that we have almost forgotten about the team they faced: Bayer Leverkusen deserve tons of credit for a near-perfect performance, and they deserved a win for almost 80 minutes until Barça took over and pulled off a miracle result.

Speaking to the media after the match, Bayer coach Roger Schmidt was clearly saddened by the final result, but was very complimentary not only of his team's performance, but also of the Blaugrana for the comeback victory and for Luis Suárez's splendid goal. Here's a few highlights of his postgame quotes:

"Obviously we are sad, I think we played an excellent match. We were brave, we defended compactly, we had the chance to score the second goal but then Barcelona upped the pressure, they scored the equalizer and quickly Luis Suárez scored a brilliant goal. I congratulate my team.

"We deserved a point against the best team in the world in their stadium. We defended with passion. Barcelona also deserved the win as they scored two goals but I am very proud of the match my players played.

"Even without Messi, Barcelona are a super team. Suárez scored a world-class goal. We were a bit exhausted at the end, maybe because we have played four matches in ten days."

Source: UEFA.com

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Sergi Roberto on goal vs Leverkusen: 'Most important of my career'

One of the most important players in Barcelona's incredible 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday was certainly Sergi Roberto. The young Spaniard, who has been deeply criticized for his lackluster performances as a midfielder, completely changed the game in that exact position, creating and scoring the first goal that opened the door for the comeback victory.

Roberto talked to the media after the game, and mentioned his goal, what changed the match in the second half, and the importance of the win.

"I'm playing more at the beginning of this season. I feel great physically and I'm trying to give my best to help the team.

"It's probably the most important goal I've scored, because we were behind and it allowed us to tie the game.

"At halftime we stuck together because we knew that we'd succeed. We tweaked our tactics, maybe they were tired too because they pressed very well. With the fans' help we did it."

Source: FCBarcelona.com

Another player who talked to the press was Gerard Piqué, who had quick quotes for the fans' support, the difficulty of the match, and how key the victory is. Take a look:

"People said this group was going to be easy. Teams come here and bring a really tough game with them. Despite not being so sharp, we ended up winning. That shows confidence.

"We've always said the fans should always be with us, but sometimes it's tough when you're behind on the scoreboard. We know about Catalan culture, the people are demanding."

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Luis Suárez on Barcelona win over Leverkusen: 'This is why we're European champions'

Luis Suárez was the hero, but he was damn proud of the rest of the team, too.

The Uruguayan striker, who scored the game-winning goal for Barcelona in their miraculous 2-1 Champions League victory over Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, spoke to the media right after the game and praised all of his teammates for their will to overcome what appeared to be a decisive 1-0 deficit after 80 minutes of football at Camp Nou. El Pistolero said that wins like this, amid all the problems the team faces, proves once again why they're the current Treble winners and the best footballing team on the planet.

Here's a few of his postgame quotes:

"We believed in ourselves until the end because we are the European champions. We had to prove it, and we had plenty of chances but couldn't until the end. The most important thing was to win, especially being at home.

"Bayer? We knew they were pressing us like at Celta. At halftime the coach told us some things that you don't see in the field, and we changed."

Source: FCBarcelona.com

What do you think, Blaugranes? Do you agree with Luisito that Barça proved themselves against Leverkusen?

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Barcelona vs Bayer Leverkusen, Post-Match Reaction: 3 Things We Learned

It looked ugly, it sounded ugly, it felt ugly, and it was ugly. But Barcelona got the job done in the first full match without Lionel Messi, coming from behind to get a miracle win over Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday's Champions League match. Here's a few takeaways from what we saw at Camp Nou:

1. Luis Suárez is the best striker on the planet. I don't care what everyone else says, or the 37 goals Robert Lewandowski has scored in the last twelve minutes. The Uruguayan is the most complete player at his position in all of football. The game-winner he scored is something very few players can do, and that is what Barça paid lots and lots of money for. Neymar might be the most creative and magical part of what's left of the MSN trio without Messi, but El Pistolero is certainly the most decisive. He is incredible.

2. As crazy as it sounds, the defense hasn't been bad. The numbers are insane and tell a completely different story, but Barça has been solid at the back. The problem is actually in front of them, with a midfield that loses a lot of balls and puts pressure on the defense, and if the defense is outnumbered, then they will concede. It's that simple. But the actual back four, and goalkeeper Ter Stegen, has had a very decent run other than the debacle against Celta Vigo, and we saw that again in the Leverkusen match. It's easy to point fingers to MAtS and Co. for the defensive issues, but it's not all their fault. Fix the midfield and the passing accuracy, and everything will be fine.

3. There is now simply no excuse to leave Sergi Samper at Barça B. I've given up on Luis Enrique seeing Samper's undeniable talent and giving him a chance over freaking Gumbau, but with Iniesta's injury, there are three healthy first team midfielders. Gumbau will be on the bench on the weekend game against Sevilla, but we need another guy. Samper is the only plausible choice, and he deserves minutes with the big boys. Please do it, Lucho. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT. I SWEAR.

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UEFA Champions League: FC Barcelona 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen: Match Review

Recap of Barcelona thrilling comeback victory against Bayer Leverkusen.

It was a tough first home Champions League game for Barcelona as the Catalans struggled to overcome a resilient Bayer Leverkusen side. Kyriakos Papadopoulos opened the scoring in the first half, but a late game quick-fire double by Sergi Roberto and Luis Suarez secured Barça their first win of the European season.

	Barcelona	Bayer Leverkusen
Possession	69	31
Total Shots	17	9
Shots on Target	9	3
Corners	4	1
Fouls	9	22
Offsides	3	5
Yellow Cards	3	4
Red Cards	0	0

Luis Enrique sent out on the pitch his arguably best available eleven players. Marc-Andre ter Stegen continued in goal for Barcelona, while Jeremy Mathieu again replaced the not-fully-fit Jordi Alba and was joined in defense by Javier Mascherano, Gerard Pique and Dani Alves. The midfield featured the usual suspects but in attack Sandro Ramirez started alongside of Suarez and Neymar.

The game started off in exciting fashion with end-to-end stuff from the first minutes, with the first chance going Bayer's way already in the 2nd minute. Karim Bellarabi dribbled past Pique on the Barcelona left side and sent a perfect ball to the middle to Javier Hernandez who escaped his man to send a strong shot on target. But in the Barcelona goal ter Stegen was able to make a great save, preventing an early Bayer lead.

Barcelona quickly countered with chances of their own. First, Busquets had a free header from a corner kick, but he connected poorly with the ball. In the 6th minute, Rakitić headed the ball on goal, after a Neymar cross, but Bernd Leno made the save. Leno was again called into action four minutes later. Sandro and Suarez played a one-two just outside of the Bayer box, with the latter springing the former into space. Sandro picked his spot, but his spot was hand-level, giving Leno a chance to make a great save, keeping the game scoreless.

The Germans continued to threaten throughout the time Barcelona created their chances, but they were unable to get good looks on goal initially. But that changed quickly, with first Bellarabi firing over the bar from inside the box in the 15th minute. Kevin Kampl was then presented with consecutive chances, but his first went just wide of the far post while the second was excellently blocked by Pique. The visitor's pressure continued and their positive play was rewarded in the 23rd minute when Papadopoulos took advantage of a misunderstanding between Suarez, Mathieu and ter Stegen, heading the ball into the back of the net after an excellently placed corner kick.

The tempo of the game continued to be high, but over the next stretch neither team managed to create good chances, though the visitors continued to look the likelier team to score the next goal. And they came close to doing so in the 36th minute when Bellarabi again danced around Pique and sent a rising close range shot on goal, but ter Stegen was able to palm the ball away, keeping Barcelona's deficit to a minimum.

Two minutes later, Barcelona had their best chance of the game so far to put one past Leno. After a long ball into the box, Suarez and Neymar combined on the left side of the box, with Neymar firing a "seeing eye" shot that bounced off the far post. The rebound fell perfectly to the feet of Sandro who seemed destined to score as the goal was all but unguarded, but his low drive was kept out by a brilliant diving block by Papadopoulos. Barcelona would go on to attack for the remainder of the first half, but apart from a shot from a long range free kick that was easily saved, the Catalans couldn't create much.

Barcelona started the second half on a mission of holding onto the ball and trying to build scoring chances through long attacking plays, rarely giving up the ball. But when they did give it up, Bayer quickly created chances of their own. In the 50th minute Bellarabi again led the visitors on a counter attack, but once again Chicharito couldn't finish off what the German created.

Barcelona quickly counter with an opportunity of their own, with the chance again going Sandro's way, but the youngster yet again couldn't finish the play off. Quickly thereafter, after a brilliant sequence that centered around Iniesta, Neymar had a chance to tie the game, but he too was unable to put the ball on goal. Barcelona's injury woes worsened after that play as Iniesta pulled up and was quickly replaced by Alba. In the 63rd minute Lucho made his second change, replacing the misfiring Sandro with Munir El Haddadi.

In the 65th minute, the Catalans won a free kick 35-yards away. With Messi out of action, Neymar took responsibility for the kick and curled a lovely ball toward goal, but missed the target by mere inches. Pique would also have a chance to change the scoreboard just minutes later, but his close range header lacked power and/or accuracy to beat Leno. At this point Barcelona also completed their last substitution, a surprising one, as Sergi Roberto took the place of Rakitić.

But the sub proved to be a good piece of business by Lucho as Roberto was in the right place at the right time in the 80th minute after Leno was unable to hold on to Suarez's shot and the loose ball fell to Roberto who tapped it in. This proved to be just the beginning of the turnaround as Barcelona continued to assert their dominance and just two minutes later the Catalans took the lead. Munir, another substitute, played a key role in this play, carving up Bayer's defense through the right side before passing the ball to Suarez, who wasted no time and first-timed it into the top left corner of Leno's goal.

Barcelona then quickly went into prevent mode, simply clearing the ball as far away as possible and wasting as much time as possible - and it was enough for the Catalans to secure the win, though in the end the win could've been even bigger, but Munir was unable to finish off a golden opportunity.

Barcelona now return to La Liga action where they have another tough away game on the docket - at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán against Sevilla.

Roll Call:

Roll Call Info
Total comments	842
Total commenters	70
Commenter list	A. J. Khan, Abdul S., Abhiforbarca, Abhishek-Culé, AllAboutStyle, Anders Thomassen, Anirudh_Kul, AraibKarim, Ashraf Arefin, Barca4lif, BarcaLifer, Bingiboy, Cacho Cashman, Cajunb, Daxterflames, Delano Heerkens, DerkSensei, FCBMessi, Geniussssssss, GreyGhostIniesta, Haliaetos, Jerome Mizzi, Jonni, JordiBalboa, KiwiBarca, Lapulga, Messidependencia!!!, My Name Is Dennis, NamesTroyResideInTheDMV, Navz, PG9, Piyush_, Rajesh1101s, Ruy Diaz, SUMYTH90, Sameer Pradhan, Sanico150, Shaco, Som-i-Serem, Steven Cordero, StoichkovTheDagger, Swn.Culé, Tokjee, Yuro_Doosh, ade fox, agar2515, alonso_fan46, avyator, barcasey, citizenleung, conchis, craig00000, el_uruguayo, feeya7, footballfordoze, getreus, istiaque, kuntakintae, messism, milesbarca, mrblackdub, nahmynameisantoine, neymarinho_10, oddsbodiSkins, purpleheart81, somunequip, syredeathtrooper, turtletrader, vireyda, waseem10
Story URLs	http://ift.tt/1WvW9qO

#	Commenter	# Comments
1	ade fox	77
2	Delano Heerkens	70
3	Rajesh1101s	66
4	NamesTroyResideInTheDMV	58
5	avyator	50
6	Som-i-Serem	41
7	Abhishek-Culé	38
8	Yuro_Doosh	36
9	Piyush_	31
10	neymarinho_10	29
11	Anders Thomassen	28
12	Navz	26
13	FCBMessi	24
14	Ashraf Arefin	22
15	craig00000	20
16	footballfordoze	18
17	vireyda	17
18	AllAboutStyle	16
19	messism	14
20	turtletrader	14
21	PG9	12
22	syredeathtrooper	12
23	A. J. Khan	9
24	Tokjee	8
25	Swn.Culé	7
26	Ruy Diaz	7
27	Bingiboy	6
28	getreus	6
29	Abhiforbarca	5
30	BarcaLifer	5
31	Haliaetos	4
32	Cacho Cashman	4
33	conchis	4
34	Lapulga	4
35	Jerome Mizzi	3
36	istiaque	3
37	Abdul S.	3
38	Anirudh_Kul	3
39	kuntakintae	2
40	citizenleung	2
41	Barca4lif	2
42	Messidependencia!!!	2
43	AraibKarim	2
44	Sameer Pradhan	2
45	somunequip	2
46	DerkSensei	2
47	JordiBalboa	2
48	Geniussssssss	2
49	SUMYTH90	1
50	nahmynameisantoine	1
51	Daxterflames	1
52	KiwiBarca	1
53	feeya7	1
54	milesbarca	1
55	waseem10	1
56	Steven Cordero	1
57	oddsbodiSkins	1
58	alonso_fan46	1
59	StoichkovTheDagger	1
60	Jonni	1
61	mrblackdub	1
62	purpleheart81	1
63	barcasey	1
64	Shaco	1
65	Sanico150	1
66	GreyGhostIniesta	1
67	My Name Is Dennis	1
68	Cajunb	1
69	agar2515	1
70	el_uruguayo	1

');doc.close(); })(document); // -->

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OFFICIAL: Andrés Iniesta Injury Report

Turns out Andrés Iniesta didn't suffer the worst injury of all time.

The Barcelona captain, who was forced out of Tuesday's Champions League game against Bayer Leverkusen after sustaining a leg injury, was diagnosed with a right hamstring injury, the club announced shortly after the end of the match.

[INJURY NEWS] @andresiniesta8 has a right hamstring injury #FCBlive http://pic.twitter.com/beVgin1bqo

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 29, 2015

While the club doesn't go into a lot more details -- other than saying he'll be watched and carefully treated for the next couple of days to see when he can return to training --, sources told Barça Blaugranes that this is not a hamstring tear, but a sprain, which is good news and it means a three-week absence, at worst.

Because there is an international break coming last week, Iniesta will likely miss just one game, next weekend's crucial La Liga clash against Sevilla on Saturday. He'll be surely missed then, but will return quickly.

By the time Iniesta comes back, Claudio Bravo, Thomas Vermaelen and Adriano Correia will also be fully recovered and available, thus leaving Lionel Messi and Rafinha Alcântara as the long time absentees, IF no other injury occurs in Seville.

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Barcelona vs Bayer Leverkusen, 2015 Champions League: Final Score 2-1 as Barça make miracle comeback

Barcelona did what seemed impossible after 75 minutes, and defeated Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 in a miraculous late effort to get the team's first win in the UEFA Champions League. Kyriakos Papadopoulos scored the opening goal in the first half, but the Blaugrana somehow came back from behind with goals from Sergi Roberto and Luis Suárez. The bad news from a great victory was another injury, this time to Andrés Iniesta. But with the way things looked for most of the game, this looks like a title.

FIRST HALF

It's all about the midfield. And your stars.

Barça was shaky from the first minute, when Leverkusen's high pressing created a real chance for Chicharito, who had his shot stopped by Ter Stegen. The German side played its usual game, with a very secure defense with little support from the full-backs, quick attackers and midfield dominance. With uninspired starts from Neymar and Suárez, Barça relied on its own midfield to create chances, but couldn't surpass the tremendous work of Bayer, who were clearly the better side.

That dominance resulted in another fluky goal. A spectacular corner-kick by Çalhanoglu found Papadopoulos right in front of the goal, and with an indecisive Ter Stegen not wanting to come out and punch the ball away, Barça conceded once again.

With the depressing result, the Blaugrana finally improved, with a much better play on the midfield and more lively stars in Neymar and Suárez, who were responsible for the creation of the biggest Barça chance of the half, but Sandro Ramírez couldn't score the goal after a fantastic goal-line clearance by Papadopoulos.

Barça went into halftime with a negative result, but a positive end to the half.

SECOND HALF

Survive. And never give up.

Coach Luis Enrique attempted to change things up by employing a three-man back-line with Sergio Busquets at center-back, with the full-backs going forward and Neymar working behind two strikers as the thinking mind. Nothing really good happened, and the Catalans could not find any real chance to score other than a great free-kick by the Brazilian that went just wide.

Things didn't look good, and they got worse when captain Andrés Iniesta injured himself and went out with a leg problem. Enrique was forced to put Jordi Alba in his place, and wasted the rest of his bullets with Sergi Roberto and Munir El-Haddadi in search of at least an equalizing goal. And they got it. Roberto played a beautiful pass to Alba, and after deflecting a Suárez shot, Roberto himself tied the game.

And then, Barça found a miracle comeback goal. Munir made a spectacular individual play, and passed it to Suárez, and the Uruguayan buried home the second.

In the end, an improbable 2-1 victory, and a confidence-booster to a team that might not be at its performance best, but never stops fighting.

Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Alves, Piqué, Mascherano, Mathieu; Busquets, Rakitic (Roberto), Iniesta (Alba); Sandro (Munir), Suárez, Neymar

Goals: Roberto (80'), Suárez (82')

Bayer Leverkusen: Leno; Donati (Hilbert), Papadopoulos, Tah, Wendell; Bender, Kramer, Kampl, Çalhanoglu; Bellarabi (Brandt), J. Hernández (Kiessling)

Goal: Papadopoulos (22')

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Andrés Iniesta leaves game against Bayer Leverkusen with injury

You know all those injuries Barcelona has been dealing with? You can add another one to the list.

Andrés Iniesta, superstar midfielder and Blaugrana captain, was forced to leave the Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen after sustaining what appears to be a hamstring injury. He injured himself after stretching his leg a little too much while attempting a pass. Iniesta fell to the floor, and immediately asked to be replaced, and in his place came Jordi Alba.

Barça just lost Lionel Messi to injury a few days ago, and Andrés joins the Argentine, Thomas Vermaelen and Rafinha Alcântara as the players out with physical problems. This is absolutely ridiculous, and there's no good explanation for it.

More updates coming up as more information become available. For now, WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON??!?!?!?!

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UEFA Champions League: FC Barcelona vs Bayer Leverkusen: Confirmed Lineups and Live Game Thread

Live thread for the Barcelona's second Champions League match of the season, against Bayer Leverkusen.

UEFA Champions League: Group Stage 2nd Round
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Kickoff: Tuesday, 29 September 2015, 20:45 CET
Referee: Martin Atkinson

Line-ups:

FC Barcelona (4-3-3): 1. Marc-André ter Stegen; 6. Dani Alves, 3. Gerard Pique, 14. Javier Mascherano, 24. Jeremy Mathieu; 5. Sergio Busquets, 8. Andres Iniesta, 4. Ivan Rakitić; 19. Sandro Ramirez, 9. Luis Suarez, 11. Neymar

Bench: 25. Jordi Masip, 2. Douglas 18. Marc Bartra, 18. Jordi Alba, 28. Gerard Gumbau, 20. Sergi Roberto, 17. Munir El Haddadi

Coach: Luis Enrique

***

Bayer 04 Leverkusen (4-3-3): 1. Bernd Leno; 26. Giulio Donati, 5. Kyriakos Papadopoulos, 6. Jonathan Tah, 18. Wendell; 23. Christoph Kramer, 8. Lars Bender; 44. Kevin Kampl, 10. Hakan Çalhanoğlu, 38, Karim Bellarabi; 7. Javier Hernández

Bench: 25. Dario Krešić, 2. André Ramalho, 13. Roberto Hilbert, 17. Sebastian Boenisch, 19. Julian Brandt, 11. Stefan Kießling, 14. Admir Mehmedi

Coach: Roger Schmidt

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Barcelona squad named for UEFA Champions league match against Bayer Leverkusen

The next Barcelona match is upon us! The Blaugrana welcome Bayer Leverkusen to Camp Nou today for their second Champions League group stage match. After plenty of bad news lately, the Catalan giants are eager to get a victory and establish themselves as the group favorites. And coach Luis Enrique has already picked his squad for the game.

It's the usual 18-man group that Lucho always picks, but with a few casualties. Lionel Messi and Rafinha Alcântara are long-term absentees, and won't be on the list for a while. Claudio Bravo pushed for a return on Tuesday, but Enrique decided to get him ready for the weekend, and the Chilean will have to wait a few more days to come back. Adriano Correia suffered a knock against Las Palmas, and is out, though his injury is not serious. To finish the list, Thomas Vermaelen, who will return after the international break, is set to miss another game with a calf problem.

With all of those absences, it's hard to find good news. But we have it. Star full-back Jordi Alba is back from a neck problem that kept him out of the last two games, but now he's healthy and ready to go. Barça B's Gerard Gumbau is also on the squad. These are the eighteen men named by Lucho for tonight:

Goalkeepers: 1. Marc-André ter Stegen, 25. Jordi Masip

Defenders: 2. Douglas Pereira, 3. Gerard Piqué, 6. Dani Alves, 14. Javier Mascherano, 15. Marc Bartra, 18. Jordi Alba, 24. Jérémy Mathieu

Midfielders: 4. Ivan Rakitic, 5. Sergio Busquets, 8. Andrés Iniesta, 20. Sergi Roberto, 28. Gerard Gumbau

Forwards: 9. Luis Suárez, 11. Neymar Jr., 17. Munir El-Haddadi, 19. Sandro Ramírez

Projected Starting Lineup (4-3-3):

Stegen; Alves, Piqué, Mathieu, Alba; Busquets, Rakitic, Iniesta; Munir, Suárez, Neymar

Bench: Masip, Douglas, Bartra, Mascherano, Roberto, Gumbau, Sandro

The match starts at 20:45 CET, and you can join us to follow and comment all the action.

VISCA EL BARÇA!

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La Liga News, 29 September 2015: Diego Simeone defends Jackson Martínez, Eden Hazard linked with Real Madrid

Simeone defends misfiring Jackson | Football Espana

Diego Simeone has assured Jackson Martinez that Atletico Madrid "trust him to death", despite another goalless display on Saturday against Villarreal.

‘Valencia can still progress in CL’ | Football Espana

Alvaro Negredo has insisted that Valencia retain every chance of progressing far in this season’s Champions League.

Konoplyanka: Sevilla right for me | Football Espana

Yevhen Konoplyanka remains adamant that he made the right decision in joining Sevilla this summer, despite a mixed start to his career in Spain.

Chelsea's Eden Hazard on Real Madrid's shortlist for next summer - Managing Madrid

Real Madrid want to sign Eden Hazard to improve their offensive line, according to The Sunday Times

Real Madrid: Jesé Rodríguez's injury is just a scare - MARCA.com (English version)

Jesé's injury has ended up being little more than a fright. The forward hasn't picked up a muscular injury, so Rafa Benítez will have him available for the derby. In fact, depending on how he recovers, he could even travel to Sweden to play against Malmö. The decision will be made this Tuesday.

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