28.04.2008 21:07
Sun shines on the team at Old Trafford
www.fcbarcelona.cat
In spite of the clouds and rain which have threatened all day long in the Manchester sky, Frank Rijkaard’s men have been able to train this evening in the Old Trafford sunshine.
Old Trafford was the venue this Monday for a training session for FC Barcelona’s first team,
which as usual on the day before a game was open to the media for the first 15 minutes. In that
time the players did the warm-up and keep-ball exercises that have been a standard part of Barça
training sessions for years.
The session this Monday evening is the last before the decisive return leg in the Champions
League semi-final kicks off tomorrow evening at 8.45 pm. Just like the first leg in the Camp Nou,
the fixture is to be played at a first-class facility.
The grass
As is usually the case at British grounds, the condition of
the grass at Manchester United’s stadium is excellent. Old Trafford uses grass treatment
systems which are very similar to those employed at the Camp Nou including artificial light which
is used to simulate spring-like temperatures.
Media expectation
As happened at the Camp Nou in the first leg, media expectation has been massive. No sooner
had they reached the ground than coach Frank Rijkaard and full-back Gianluca Zambrotta spoke at
packed press conferences, as would be expected at a Champions League semi-final between two of
Europe’s biggest teams.
Both Zambrotta and Rijkaard then did flash interviews for the TV stations which are to
broadcast the match in Spain and in Britain.