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28.04.2009 23:12
Puyol to miss return leg in London
www.fcbarcelona.cat
Carles Puyol will miss the return leg of the Champions league semi final against Chelsea after being shown his third yellow card on Tuesday night.
In what was the Catalan’s third international fixture for Barça, Puyol came on as a substitute for Rafa Márquez early in the second half, after the Mexican was carried off with a serious injury.
Tackle on Drogba
Referee Wolfgang Stark booked the Barça captain for a tackle on Drogba in the 73rd minute. Having already been carded against Lyon and Bayern Munich, his was his third in the competition, meaning he will be suspended for the return leg at Stamford Bridge.
Defensive changes in London
With Puyol and Márquez out, as well as Milito, Pep Guardiola will need
to shuffle his defensive pack at Stamford Bridge. His only natural centre backs are Gerard Piqué
and Martín Cáceres, although Abidal and Sylvinho are both able to play there when required.
Second highest gate
The Camp Nou faithful never let the side down on nights like this, and 95,231 was the second
biggest turnout of the season, with only the Real Madrid game being watched by more (96,059). But
both were sell-out crowds, the reason being that the Camp Nou’s capacity is slightly smaller
for Champions league games for UEFA security reasons.
