28.11.2010 10:40

Ten reasons for optimism

Jordi Clos

There are many reasons why Barça can feel confident that the clásico is going to go there way. Here are ten.

- On Monday it’ll be 936 days since Madrid last beat Barça, on May 7, 2008. Since then, Barça have become the first team to win four clásicos in a row.

- In the last 27 league clásicos at the Camp Nou, Barça have won 18 times, drawing 7 tomes and only losing twice.

- José Mourinho has never won at the Camp Nou. He came here three times with Chelsea and twice with Inter, getting two draws and losing three times.

- No coach has yet beaten Pep Guardiola twice in official matches … and Mourinho is one of the few who has managed it. The 12 that share that honour with the Portuguese coach are Maciej Skorza (Wisla Krakow, 1-0), Sergio Kresic (Numancia, 1-0), Mircea Lucescu (Shakhtar Donetsk, 2-3), Mauricio Pochetino (Espanyol, 1-2), Abel Resino (Atlético Madrid, 4-3), Gregorio Manzano (Mallorca, 2-1), José Antonio Camacho (Osasuna, 0-1), Kurban Berdyev (Rubin Kazan, 1-2), Manolo Jiménez (Sevilla, 1-2), Quique S. Flores (Atlético Madrid, 2-1), Antonio Álvarez (Sevilla, 3-1) and Esteban Vigo (Hercules, 0-2).

- Guardiola three home defeats in the Liga have always been against low-ranked teams: Espanyol (bottom), Osasuna (facing relegation) and Hercules (recently promoted).

- Cristiano Ronaldo has not scored in five games against Barça. He faced FCB three times with Manchester United (including the final in Roma) and twice with Madrid.

- Leo Messi has scored in ten consecutive games, nine for Barça and one for Argentina.

- This is the best ever start to a league season under Guardiola, nine wins, one draw and one loss.

- The home side are flying up their own private ‘Tourmalet’ of home games. They have beaten Valencia (2-1), then Sevilla (5-0) and Vila-real (3-1). The stage ends against Madrid.

- Barça always win after travelling away to Panathinaikos: in 2002 they went to San Mamés and won 2-0 and in 2005 they beat Osasuna per 3-0.