Soccer - Basketball - Match

As the sun rises on the “Age of Tata,” FC Barcelona will be seeking to make the most of what little preparation time its players have before the 2013-2014 season gets under way. With one game down and five more to play in the preseason friendlies, every Barça player has a starting spot on his mind. What better time to prove it than Saturday’s match against Barcelona vs Vålerenga July 27, 2013 Fotball in Oslo, Norway in front of new manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino, who takes the reins from assistants Jordi Roura and Rubi following the match?

After this week’s unsurprising 2-0 loss to Bayern Munich, the first silver lining since the signing of Neymar is in sight. Martino is yet unproven in Europe and the jury is still very much out on what he will bring to the club. Saturday should prove to be a good opportunity to watch the second and third tier members of the squad jostle for position in the eyes of the new mister.

It has been a summer of venom, and not the scorching, free-kick kind. With Thiago and Pep Guardiola attacking the board over how to behave (of all things), Tito Vilanova continuing to battle cancer, Thiago Silva and Marquinhos prancing around Paris, and Messi in more legal trouble than everyone in the state of Florida combined, one could argue it’s been a pretty wasteful summer by recent standards.

The match against the Norwegians could be the first glimmer of hope should Messi captain the team to victory and the B-teamers show they are really worth all the development in Barcelona vs Valerenga Live Stream.

Vålerenga Fotball

Five-time league winner Vålerenga, named after the boehmian neighborhood of Oslo that it occupies, currently sits mid-table in the Eliteserien with a dismal 21 points out of 16 matches. The team should be well-rested given it hasn’t competed in two weeks, and the long break means a healthy number of players should be ready to prove their fitness. Midfielder Christian Grindheim appears to be the only player on the injured list.

The Oslo-based team faces league opponent Sarpsborg on Monday night and a mid-season exhibition should be nothing more than a warm-up for them. Viewers can probably expect a full lineup change in the second half.

Predicted  line-up: Kongshavn; Wawrzynkiewicz, Larsen, Muri, Lecjaks; Hæstad, Ogude; Berre, Holm, Calvo; Børven

FC Barcelona

Despite being outplayed by the Bavarians throughout Wednesday’s encounter, the second half squad, composed entirely of Barça B players, held their own very well against stronger opposition. Sergi Roberto turned heads with his cool spells of possession against some of the most renowned midfielders in football at the moment while Adriano proved he is often beyond his apparent utility status with a fine clear off the line.

Lionel Messi will need to accumulate minutes given his long vacation and will likely wear the captain’s armband, while veteran José Manuel Pinto should guard the net for at least the first 45 minutes.

The Confederations Cup Spaniards and Brazilians are still days from rejoining their blaugrana compañeros, so filling in the midfield will be the likes of Alex Song at pivote, who still has much to prove, Sergi Roberto, and possibly Jonathan dos Santos in an ever-so-slightly more advanced role.

Upfront alongside Messi will probably be Alexis Sánchez and Cristian Tello, who both have a tall case to make for themselves as Neymar will likely be given priority once he arrives.

The La Masia defensive stalwarts Martín Montoya and Marc Bartra will probably start alongside Adriano and Javier Mascherano. We can only hope the youngsters are in sterling form so as to show the utmost need to give them more regular playing time once the season gets underway.

Predicted line-up: Pinto; Montoya, Mascherano, Bartra, Adriano; Song, Dos Santos, Roberto; Sánchez, Messi, Tello

It should not be a problem for Barcelona to earn a clean sheet from the blue and whites given their center forward is 37-year-old veteran Morten Borre and will likely need some rest ahead of the upcoming league fixture. The B-teamers are hungry to move up and will take advantage of every minute given to show they can handle themselves against the Scandinavians.